Bound
by Chibi Mirai Gogeta
Summary: What if the Cell Games ended differently? What if Goku didn't help Gohan, but instead fell into the hands of darkness? Rating may go up. COMPLETE
1. Follow the White Rabbit

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Bound 

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Prologue

CMG: There's a very good reason why I titled this ficcie, _Bound_. It's got a lot to do with Goku's noble decision, with a twist. As usual, I am the alpha and the omega of pure fiction. Do not, I repeat, do not sue me for the rights of Dragon Ball Z are not mine nor would I claim them. I'm going at everyone's favorite/not so favorite hero at a different point of view and if the rating seems to bow lower than PG-13, then I'll move it to an R-rated fic (praying that it doesn't go that low). So without further ado, I present this new idea with a little teaser.

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Hands on a window pane   
Watching some children laugh and play  
They're running in circles   
With candy canes and French braids   
Inspired to question   
What makes us grown-ups anyway?   
Let's search for the moment   
When youth betrayed itself to age   
So let the children play Inside your heart always   
And death you will defy   
'Cause your youth will never die 

~Creed-Never Die

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Goku teleported Cell off of Earth as his son cried out to him and begged him to return. During the teleport, Goku felt a part of him dreading to see King Kai irritated over his sacred planet getting destroyed and them all dead; yet another thought of a clever trade off as he appeared with the bloated Cell on King Kai's Planet.

"Hang on you guys," said Goku as he grabbed King Kai under one arm, put Gregory in his shirt, and held Bubbles in his other arm before flying off the planet with Cell screaming angrily. In a few short seconds, his body was engulfed in a blinding white light as Goku was caught in the explosion with the others; falling short of Snake Way as he was suddenly hurled at the tail end rather hard, throwing King Kai, Gregory, and Bubbles on the road as Goku fell from the pink sky. As he fell through the clouds, the black hands grabbed him and sucked him in.

"Goku!" cried King Kai as he watched the hero fall into hell below.

"You shouldn't be worrying about him," said a familiar voice as evil laughter rang in the background.

"Ah! But you're supposed to be..." cried King Kai.

"Dead?" said Cell. "Far from it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to Earth and destroy it!"

Planting two fingers to his forehead, Cell teleported, leaving the Lord of the Worlds homeless and the Earth's fate in Gohan's hands. Slumping to the ground in defeat, King Kai prayed with all his might that Earth's hero was in good hands.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In hell, a pair of boots were seen as Goku moaned in pain. He was still unconscious as an evil chuckle was heard.

"About time you arrived, Kakarot," said the mysterious figure as the shadows descended upon the living warrior.

To be continued...

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CMG: Another idea straight from the bag of insane ideas I had. I hope you enjoyed this very short chapter! The next part's coming soon! If you're interested in what happens next, you know what to do, right? Feedback is good! ^_^


	2. Down the Rabbit's Hole

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Bound

Chapter 1

CMG: As usual, I don't own Dragon Ball Z. Now let's find out what happens next shall we? *laughs evilly*

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You used to captivate me by your resonating mind,  
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind.  
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams  
Your voice has chased away all the sanity in me.  
These wounds won't seem to heal,  
this pain is just too real,  
there's just too much that time cannot erase.  
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears,  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears.  
I held your hand through all of these years.  
But you still have...  
All of me.  


~Evanescence-My Immortal

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The fighters stared in aghast. A minute ago, Goku had taken Cell from Earth in attempt to save it; however, Cell had returned and killed Trunks as Vegeta looked as though he was on the verge of losing the last threads of sanity that he had left. As Cell laughed, Gohan got angry at the way he took the look on their faces. Most importantly, Gohan had no idea if his father was still alive or not.

"Cell, that's enough!" yelled Gohan. "Where's my father? Tell me!"

"Your father's in hell," said Cell as he seemed rather delighted. "And after I'm done killing you pests, I shall go back to the Other World into that pit and kill him at my leisure."

If anything, those last words were the death of Cell as Vegeta and Gohan both charged at Cell to massacre him and make him pay for endangering the Earth and killing everyone, including Trunks. As Cell found himself at the receiving end of all the blows, he was knocked back as Vegeta threw a lot of blasts at the android. In the midst of the destruction going on, Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin stared in awe at the two fighting with everything they had.

"They're mad," said Krillin.

"Pissed is more like it," said Yamcha. "Remind me not to make Gohan that mad."

Within about a few minutes, both Saiya-jins were breathing hard as they watched and waited in case Cell was still alive. As the dust cleared, they saw no signs of Cell as they both sighed in relief. Before Gohan could scream though, a tail grabbed him by the neck as Cell laughed evilly.

"Gohan!" cried Piccolo.

"You really thought you could defeat me?" said Cell as he chuckled as he began choking the boy with the tail as he screamed in pain.

"We need to stop him!" said Krillin.

"Not one move or he dies," said Cell with a nasty voice as he floated up into the sky about a few feet above them; dangling Gohan above them as the boy gasped for breath.

"Damn," said Tien.

"L-let go of m-me..." moaned Gohan as he felt that he was on the verge of passing out.

"Not until I have my revenge," said Cell as he began to pull Gohan's arm back painfully. The writing screams emitted from the young half-breed's throat as his hair faded back to the black locks he was born with. Consciousness seemed to waver for Gohan as Vegeta finally struck back at Cell with a counterattack. Blasting the monster from behind, Gohan found himself on the ground as he coughed violently for a moment or two before he quickly regained his breath. Cell turned with an evil glare in his eyes towards the Saiya-jin Price as though he had a death wish.

"You'll pay for what you've done," hissed Cell.

"No, you will," said Vegeta as he stepped aside and Cell froze. There behind Vegeta stood everyone armed ready with energy blasts as Cell looked on in horror. Behind him, a voice was heard chanting a familiar attack...

"Ka... me... ha... me..." said Gohan as his aura flared around him; transforming him into an ascended Super Saiya-jin again. Vegeta powered up a blast as well as Cell was surrounded by all sides by the fighters. "HA!"

"DIE CELL!" yelled Vegeta as the energy blasts all met in the middle as Cell was destroyed atom by atom until his dying screams were no longer heard. As the fighters celebrated, Gohan became worried about his father's fate as everyone, except Vegeta, went to Kami's Lookout to wish back those who died and save Goku. Unfortunately...

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"The one known as Son Goku cannot return to this realm," boomed Shenlong as Gohan stood there agape.

"Why not?" cried Krillin. "He's alive, isn't he?"

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"He is, but it is beyond my power to bring him back to this realm," said Shenlong as the others seemed upset.

"Where is he then?" said Yamcha.

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"He is not of this world nor is he in hell," said Shenlong. **"I cannot tell you anymore for it is not in my place to tell you mortals. Do you have another wish?"**

"No," said Gohan upset as the tears ran down his cheeks. "You can go." With a golden flash, Shenlong faded as the dragon balls scattered across the globe. Gohan fell to the ground as his hands covered his eyes as he cried once more over the loss of his father.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bubbles were heard as Goku started regaining consciousness. His body stung with uncertainty; thin thread-like objects ran up his body as he felt a breathing apparatus over his mouth giving him air. Opening his eyes, he saw strange symbols that didn't explain where he was at or how he ended up there. Trying to lift his arms, he found them pinned to his sides to some strange object. More bubbles were heard as he heard footsteps.

"Kakarot, I see that you're awake," said a baritone voice. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you."

"What do you mean?" said Goku. "Who are you and where am I?"

"All those questions will be answered in due time," said the voice. "For now, just watch the images."

"Why?" said Goku. "They make no sense!"

"Oh, but they will make sense in time," said the voice before the sound of footsteps retreated as a hissing sound was heard as the footsteps seemed to walk in that direction. The hissing sound was heard again after the footsteps were no longer audible as Goku remained entirely in the dark about what was going on.

'Why am I here?' thought Goku. For the first time, he regretted the decision about what he did to try and save his master's life. In defeat, he stared blankly at the foreign symbols as each one danced across his vision; almost mocking him since he couldn't move a muscle.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"...and Goku's fallen into hell," finished King Kai as he stood in front of King Yemma.

"I suppose I'll let you tell Grand Kai know about this," said King Yemma as he dismissed King Kai as he walked out the door. "As for you two, how about you go to the cafeteria and get you guys something to eat?"

"Yay!" chirped Gregory as Bubbles made cheering noises in agreement.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What?!" cried Chi-chi as she hugged Gohan. "I refuse to believe he's in hell! Why didn't that damn dragon bring him back?"

"He said it was beyond his power," said Gohan. "He can't bring him back."

"This can't be happening!" cried Chi-chi. She ran off to her room to cry as Gohan felt guilty for not finishing Cell when his father told him to.

'This is all my fault,' thought Gohan. 'I wish I could have listened to you, dad! If I did, then you wouldn't be in hell right now!'

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CMG: Yeah, I used something that sounded like it was from the series Full Metal Panic. I was inspired to write that scene into this fanfic to make things more interesting and set Goku in a situation almost similar to it and adding a few twists of my own to make it more fitting. On to answer the reviews, I suppose:

Daughter of Ashes: Thanks for your support. It'll get better as it goes along and this idea's been in my head for awhile now.

DBZ Chick 1: Hopefully, this chapter's a bit better in detail. I was a bit shaky writing a fic of this genre during the first chapter, but I feel more confident now writing something a bit different than my older fanfics. Besides, this fits my mood a bit better since I'm going through some tough times.

Amy: I'm glad for your support for this fanfic as well as the sequel I'm still working on. With my time divided, I feel a bit more stressed out right now, but I'll always find time to update.

And to anyone else reading, I appreciate the feedback. It encourages me to keep writing and adding more chapters. There will be some twists in the future, so I'll add a little teaser for the next chapter:

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*King Kai, are you there?*

"Yes, I'm here," said King Kai. "What do you want, Piccolo?"

*I want to know what happened to Son,* said Piccolo.

"Release me..."

"Huh?" said Goku as he found himself in a void. As he looked around, he saw a figure standing there in the shadows. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin didn't recognize him. The mysterious figure standing before him was someone he never met before.

"I know the writing. Let me free..."

"I'm sorry, Gohan," said Piccolo as Gohan got tears in his eyes. 

As the story progresses, I'll add more chapters, depending on my mood. Until next time, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Later!


	3. Beneath the Surface

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Bound

Chapter 2

CMG: I don't own Dragon Ball Z. Never have. Never will. Though I do wish I owned Shenlong himself so I can wish for the copyrights.

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There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface  
consuming, confusing  
this lack of self-control I fear is never ending  
controlling, I can't seem  
  
To find myself again  
my walls are closing in  
**without a sense of confidence **

I'm convinced that there's just 

too much pressure to take  
I've felt this way before  
so insecure  


~Linkin' Park-Crawling

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For hours, Goku stared at the symbols without knowing their meaning as he started to feel a strange sensation within his mind. It didn't hurt or ache in the slightest; instead, it felt like he was on the verge of figuring out what was going on and where he was at. Without any knowledge of it, he passed out as the symbols continued to play out. However, the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was no longer awake as he sunk deeper and deeper into his own mind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On Kami's Lookout, Piccolo has been trying to figure out what happened to his former arch nemesis as he tried to search within himself for Kami's holy knowledge. He had no idea what was going on nor did he realize Goku's fate at the moment. However, everything he learned was for naught as he came out of his musings and decided to try and ask a higher source for answers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At that moment, King Kai just finished explaining the situation with Grand Kai when suddenly, he felt Piccolo's plea in his mind.

*King Kai, are you there?*

"Yes, I'm here," said King Kai. "What do you want, Piccolo?"

*I want to know what happened to Son,* said Piccolo.

"That's what I was just asking Grand Kai about," said King Kai.

*You mean there's more than one of you?* said Piccolo.

"Of course!" said King Kai.

"Um... I don't mean to nose in, North Kai, but who are you talking to?" said Grand Kai.

"I'm talking to Piccolo," said King Kai.

"Piccolo, huh?" said Grand Kai. "I had no idea instruments can talk." That phrase ended up earning a chuckle from the Lord of Worlds as he lost his concentration on the matter at hand at the moment.

"He's a Namek," said King Kai as he continued his conversation with Piccolo. "Sorry about that, Piccolo."

*Whatever,* said Piccolo. *Has he sent anyone to find him yet?*

"He was about to when you decided to call," said King Kai.

*Then let me join in on the search,* said Piccolo.

"Well, there's one problem," said King Kai. "You can't quite get here to help us, so..."

*I have Kami inside of me, so I'm able to teleport,* growled Piccolo as though he was about to teleport up there and kill King Kai since he was not dead. *Now tell me where you're at so I can come up there and help all of you out.*

"You want to come up here?" said King Kai as Grand Kai suddenly grabbed onto King Kai's shoulder.

"Mortals are not allowed up here!" yelled Grand Kai as King Kai screamed in pain as the Grand Kai's talon-like grip grasped on his shoulder.

"You didn't have to yell!" snapped King Kai both angrily and painfully as he started mumbling quietly to himself.

*Enough bickering or they're will be two less Kais up there to rule any worlds!* yelled a now bitter Piccolo as he sounded rather pissed off. *Just give me the damn coordinates so that I can find Son and be off!*

"Fine," said King Kai as he sounded defeated.

'Hmph,' thought Grand Kai as he slumped in his throne rather cross. 'How dare a mortal threaten to kill me. I hope King Yemma sends him to hell when he dies for that threat.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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"Release me..."

"Huh?" said Goku as he found himself in a void. As he looked around, he saw a figure standing there in the shadows. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin didn't recognize him as he felt fear. The mysterious figure standing before him was someone he never met before.

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"I know the writing. Let me free..."

"Who are you?" said Goku as he felt himself getting dragged towards the mysterious person that stood before him. "Wha-?"

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"You cannot escape your destiny..."

As Goku struggled against the invisible bonds, he found himself getting pulled closer and closer towards the mysterious figure as he eventually couldn't resist it. Flesh met flesh as Goku's scream was heard both physically and mentally.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Excellent," said the mysterious figure as he walked towards the tank where Goku was held. "At last, I'll soon have my revenge on the Kais themselves."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After many complaints about a mortal being on the world of the Kais, Piccolo insisted that he help search for the lost warrior. Pikkon, a warrior similar to Piccolo, flew with him as they searched the land of hell. However, after many hours of searching, they still couldn't find Goku. As they rested against beneath the tree, Piccolo was meditating when Pikkon decided to ask the Namek a question.

"Piccolo, what does this 'Goku' person look like?" said Pikkon.

"He's about 5'7", has black hair, black pupils, and is a Saiya-jin," said Piccolo.

"Saiya-jin, eh?" said Pikkon. "Never heard of them."

"If Goku's down here, he might be still in his Super Saiya-jin form as long as he's not been knocked out," said Piccolo. "But if he is..."

"Can you describe what a Super Saiya-jin is so I can get a better picture?" interrupted Pikkon as he seemed curious.

"Fine," said Piccolo as he went on describing what a Super Saiya-jin looks like. After they rested up, they continued their search.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Congratulations, Mrs. Son!" said a brown short haired nurse in a white short sleeved shirt and a super mini skirt as she seemed as though she was related to Bulma's mother. "You are pregnant!"

"What?!" cried Chi-chi as she stared in disbelief. "I'm pregnant? No wonder I haven't been feeling good!" 'Goku better get home or I'll go to hell and drag his ass home myself!'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

About a few weeks later, Piccolo and Pikkon finished their search through the many layers of hell, but they couldn't find no signs of the Earth-raised Saiya-jin as Piccolo returned to Earth. Contacting Gohan, he arrived to Kami's Lookout in hope that he his mentor found his father. However, Gohan saw how serious Piccolo looked as he kneeled down to place a hand on Gohan's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Gohan," said Piccolo as Gohan got tears in his eyes. "I couldn't find him. It's as though he vanished."

"No..." sniffed Gohan as he shoved Piccolo to the ground and flew off.

"Gohan," cried Dende as he was about to fly after the young hybrid, but Piccolo got up and stopped him with a hand on the young Kami's shoulder.

"He needs to be alone," said Piccolo as they watched him leave at high speed.

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CMG: Ah. Nothing but more drama and suspense. And it gets better next chapter! Before I give another 'evil' spoiler, let me first thank those who were kind enough to review:

Cold Paws: You'll find out where he is soon. Whether or not he'll return to Earth though, let's just say that he'll return to Earth, but let's just say he won't be there to greet anyone in his happy-go-lucky attitude of his. A small spoiler, but I'll let you figure it out for yourself, okay?

DBZ Chick 1: Glad you are happy. Action's gonna start soon, so stick around.

Amy: A Goku fan, I see? I really hope you stick around because this fic's about to become rather dark.

Now for the preview for the next chapter:

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'It's all my fault,' thought Gohan. 'Why didn't I listen to my daddy? Why did he have to make the ultimate sacrifice? I'll never see him again and tell him I'm sorry for him getting killed.'

'What's going on? What is this feeling?' thought Goku as he felt a strange sensation running down his spine.

"Kami, please let my baby live..." moaned Chi-chi.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"All in due time, my friend, will you know your fate," 

Come back next time and remember to review everyone! See ya!


	4. Stuck Between Life and Death

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Bound

Chapter 3

CMG: *does a poor haiku* Don't own Dragon Ball Z . Don't sue me for I am poor. Please read and review. Thanks! *runs as fruits are thrown at her*

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No one knows   
What's done is done   
It's as if he were dead   
  
He as hollow as I alone now   
He as hollow as I alone   
A shell of my friend   
Just flesh and bone   
There's no soul   
He sees no love   
I shake my fists at skies above   
Mad at God   
  
He as hollow as I converse   
I wish he'd waken from this curse   
Hear my words before it's through   
I want to come in after you   
My best friend   
  
He as hollow as I alone   


~Pantera-Hollow

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The thunder roared as the rain fell in a downpour. Deep in a cave on the side of a cliff, sobbing is heard as Gohan cried with his knees folded into his chest. The tears were like knives tearing down the young hybrid's face as the cold air did nothing to help ease the pain he felt both inside his heart and the tears that ran down his face.

'It's all my fault,' thought Gohan. 'Why didn't I listen to my daddy? Why did he have to make the ultimate sacrifice? I'll never see him again and tell him I'm sorry for him getting killed.'

*** Flashback... ***

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"You did well, Gohan," said Goku's voice as the dust blew around them as Gohan looked up at his father with a confused look on his face.

"Daddy?" said Gohan.

"Tell your mother that I'm sorry for all of the things that I put her through," said Goku as he seemed calm, yet sad for some strange reason. "I was always careless and selfish." Gohan gasps as his father seemed to give him an encouraging smile before he said the words that would make Gohan believe he was never coming back: "Goodbye, Gohan!" As the wind blew in his face, he suddenly became determined as he and the bloated Cell that was about to destroy Earth flickered out. More dust flew around Gohan as he got up and screamed at the top of his lungs...

"No! Don't do it, DAD!"

*** End Flashback ***

A clash of thunder brought him out of the daydreams as he shook. His body felt cold, but he no longer cared as he continued to cry. The rain continued to cascade down the rocks; creating a waterfall-like effect at the front of the cave. Eventually, Gohan cried himself to sleep; no longer able to cry anymore as the nightmare of that fated day haunted him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elsewhere, Goku woke up groggy as he found himself lying strip naked on a lab table. He got up rather dizzy as he braced himself against the table as he saw a sign with weird symbols on it. As he seemed to regain his balance, he was hit with nausea as he folded up and shook his head to keep himself from vomiting on the floor.

'What's going on? What is this feeling?' thought Goku as he felt a strange sensation running down his spine as he breathed in heavy pants as though he was running from someone or something.

Pain suddenly seemed to rip through the tailbone of his back as a scream escaped his lips and passed out upon the floor. Shortly after he passed out in the room, a bloody tail emerged as it wavered slightly. If he were still awake, he would have welcomed it; but in the condition he was in, he didn't know why he was still alive when he should have already been dead.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Gohan, please live," cried Chi-chi as she sat by her son's bedside. Since there was no moon, it was completely dark as the tears drenched the sheets that Gohan slept under.

It was days since Gohan found out his father was nowhere to be found in the layers of hell as he remained in his room almost in a comatose state after he returned home. Piccolo returned the boy to Chi-chi after he fell asleep in the cave, but the boy did not stir after he was brought home. Worried to death, Chi-chi thought the Gods were punishing her for not stopping them from fighting Cell.

"Kami, please let my baby live..." moaned Chi-chi as she remained in the dark about Goku's fate as she prayed he would return home soon.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Evil is stirring," said a stern voice as a dim light is seen. Near the dim light, two figures are standing there; almost entirely engulfed in the shadows.

"Is Sin trying to escape?" said a deep voice as the light starts becoming brighter.

"Yes," said the stern voice. "He is planning to plunge this entire universe into hell."

"Is there anyone strong enough to stop it?" said the deep voice as two figures are seen finally as the light finally becomes light enough to show two cloaked figures in scarlet cloaks.

"Yes and no," said the stern voice. "He might not realize it yet, but he is the key to whether we live or die now."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On Kami's Lookout, Piccolo had gathered all the warriors that fought against Cell, including Trunks. (A/N: He didn't go back to the future, yet.)

"Well?" said Yamcha. "Did you find him?" Silence reigned for a moment.

"Tell us, Namek!" said Vegeta angrily.

"The truth is," said Piccolo as he felt tense, "I searched hell for weeks and there was no sign of the warrior. He's either dead or wiped out of existence forever. I'm sorry."

"What?!" said Krillin. "But he can't be..."

"My father can't be dead!" said a voice as everyone turned around to see Gohan there. Dark circles were under his eyes as he wore black clothing instead of his normal fighting gear. By the looks of it, Gohan seemed to have been having very little time resting in the past few days as the others seemed worried about the hybrid's health.

"Gohan, what are you doing up here?" said Piccolo. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"Gohan?" said Trunks breathlessly as the hybrid seemed to sway on his feet a little.

"He's not dead," said Gohan with a sad look in his eyes. "He's still alive."

"Piccolo's searched hell though," said Tien. "You need..."

"Dad once told me that if he was dead, I would have felt a sting in my heart," said Gohan. "He said he felt a sting when Krillin was killed in front of our eyes back on Namek, so I know he's not dead."

"If he's alive," said Piccolo, "he would be near-death right now. Just accept that he's gone and he's not coming back."

"NO!" cried Gohan as he went Super Saiya-jin. He looked like he was about to attack Piccolo, but he suddenly passed out as he lost the transformation.

"What if Gohan's right?" said Trunks as he looked at his past mentor with worry.

"We've already looked," said Piccolo. "Now I'm going to take Gohan home and explain it to his wife." As an after thought, Piccolo mused, 'Hopefully, she won't try to kill me this time.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

King Kai was still frantically searching for the Saiya-jin's energy. Days passed since Pikkon and Piccolo gave up, but the Lord of Worlds didn't give up as his antennas continued to twitch. It would be a miracle if Goku were still alive since Saiya-jins have a very big appetite and would starve to death about three times faster than a normal human would. To make things even worse, he was starting to believe that he no longer existed as the others begged him not to strain himself. Finally, about a week after attempting to locate his former pupil's energy, he gave up as he fell sprawled out on the ground.

'He can't be...' thought King Kai as he breathed heavily before finally succumbing to his body's needs for rest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What?" cried Chi-chi as she began crying as she held on to Gohan like he was her last lifesaver as he remained asleep in her arms. "He no longer exists?"

"That's what we think," said Piccolo. "King Kai told me that if someone is killed twice, they no longer exist."

"No, not my Goku," said Chi-chi as she continued to cry as Piccolo left with ringing ears.

'Next time, I'm going to write a letter,' thought Piccolo as he flew towards Kami's Lookout. 'Her screeching will leave me deaf for a few hours.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Wake up," said a voice as Goku felt a kick to his ribcage as he felt his back hit the wall; drawing the breath out of his lungs as he screamed in pain. As the Earth-raised Saiya-jin woke up groggy and in a lot of pain, he noticed blood on the floor; his blood as he felt the blood dripping from his mouth. Breathing hard, Goku looked at the figure who woke him up and gave him a glare of hatred. He was still in the nude and the figure before him seemed to not notice Goku's state of dress. It was as though he didn't think it was important.

"W-who are you?" said Goku as he tried to regain his breath. Not being able to see his face, he wore a completely black raggedy hooded robe and seemed like Death himself as Goku thought of this as a sign.

"I am your master," said the figure. "From now on, you shall only serve me."

"Why don't you kill me?" said Goku. "I'm probably close to it anyway."

"Not anymore," said the figure. "Your body has gone through some chemical alterations that will keep you alive. Basically, you won't starve to death since you don't need food and you'll heal from those wounds in a few hours."

Goku looked himself over. He didn't feel any different, but something inside of him was telling him that it was true as he felt sick. "What are you going to do to me?"

"All in due time, my friend, will you know your fate," said the figure. For the first time, Goku felt total horror as his mind was suddenly assaulted by images of death and destruction. Clenching his head with his hands, he tried to fight the pain as his hands were suddenly stripped away from his head and chained against the wall behind him. "Give into the bloodlust. Only then will you be whole." Goku passed out from the pain as the figure walked out of the chamber. The door slammed as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin remained against the wall as crystal tears ran down his face and fell to the floor.

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CMG: Yeah. I know that was kind of sick, but heck! Things are about to get more exciting! Next chapter, you're going to be in for a surprise. Before I go off and tell you what to expect, I'd like to thank those who reviewed so far:

Daughter of Ashes: I'm glad you like this idea! It's about to get very interesting, so stick around.

Psychomanaic: Glad you stuck around. I bet you're wondering what's going to happen next, eh? Hee hee...

DBZ Chick1: Don't worry. I'll definitely update more often once my term ends.

Now for a peek at what's to come:

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Boots barely made a sound as a man dressed in black walked down the streets. He seemed lost, but made no attempts to stop and ask for directions. He seemed to have no idea where he was going; only that he had to carry out his mission.

"Are you alright, sir?" said Krillin as he and 18 decided to help him up. However, the man flinched away from their help and walked off. Angry, 18 stopped him.

"Excuse me!" yelled 18 as the man in black turned around. "We were only trying to help you up! What is your problem?" The man turned on heel and walked off; not answering 18's question.

'Trakokota... Trakokota...' thought Piccolo as he decided to rearrange the letters and came up with a startling realization. 'It can't be...'

"I know who you are, Prince Vegeta and my mission is to destroy all life on this planet as well as this cosmos," said Trakokota.

Ooh! Who is this mysterious guy? I'll give you only one hint: It's not an original character and no Psy; you're not allowed to tell anyone who it is. *The authoress _bribes_ Psy with a cookie so she won't reveal who it is* Until next time, please review! ^_^


	5. Corruption of the Mind, Body, and Soul

****

Bound

Chapter 4

CMG: It seems the plot is starting to thicken. *stirs a tub that's labeled _Plot_ as she smirks* As usual, I don't own Dragon Ball Z. Those rights are not my own, so don't ya dare sue me.

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__

If I pulled in would it cause a scene  
There not really expecting me  
Those kid's have been thru hell  
I hear they adjusted well  
  
Turn around in the neighbors drive  
I'd be hard to recognize  
In this pick - up truck  
It's just an old fixer up  
  
Drive away one more time  
Lot of things going thru my mind  
I guess the less things change  
The more they never seem the same  
  
That's my house that's my car  
That's my dog in my back yard  
There's the window to the room  
Where she lays her pretty head  
I planted that tree out by the fence  
Not long after we moved in  
That's my kids and that's my wife  
Whose that man, running my life 

~Toby Keith-Who's That Man

******************************************

Days after Gohan arrived at Kami's Lookout, Trunks decided to return to the future to take care of his main objective: destroying the androids and bringing peace back to his timeline. With everyone, except Gohan saying bye to him, he returned to the future. Chi-chi wondered where her son was since he refused to see off the warrior from the future.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Deep in the woods, Gohan trained vigorously as he punched trees and rocks. The circles under his eyes have become deeper as the young hybrid continued to train. Eventually, he fell to the ground exhausted as he expected his father to come and help him up anytime. It didn't happen as the boy found himself crying as he dragged himself back to his house. When he got home, Chi-chi hugged him; despite how filthy he was since she was worried about her child.

'Why does she care,' thought Gohan. 'It's my fault dad's gone.'

******************

Seven years later...

******************

Chi-chi was cooking at the stove as Gohan came down. The young child had grown up to become a young man, but his mood was almost like Vegeta's as he sat down at the table without saying good morning to his mother. He wore black clothes and his hair was blonde since he decided after a few months to remain a Super Saiya-jin with his long hair tied back in a ponytail, even outside his solitaire training. Chi-chi grew used to her son's mood and looks since her son needed to express himself. Not only that, but Gohan barely talked anymore. A young boy that looked like Goku ran down the stairs as Chi-chi kissed the boy on top of his head.

"Good morning mom!" said the boy.

"Good morning, Goten," said Chi-chi cheerfully. After they finished their meal, she decided to ask the elder son a question. "Do you want to study today or train?" Gohan got up from the table as he walked out the door without saying a word. "Goten, let's go outside and I'll train you a bit."

"Okay mom!" said Goten. (A/N: Vegeta teaches Goten how to fly since Gohan refused to teach him. Vegeta also was the one who finds out Goten could go Super Saiya-jin.)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Boots barely made a sound as a man dressed in black walked down the streets. He seemed lost, but made no attempts to stop and ask for directions. He seemed to have no idea where he was going; only that he had to carry out his mission. People stared as the figure walked without making hardly a sound as though he was a ghost amongst the living. He wore a black leather trench coat with a black shirt on, black pants, biker boots, and sunglasses. His raven black hair stuck up in the front like Goku's would, but the rest of his hair was tied back and bound by a single scrap of dark blue cloth in a ponytail.

'I wonder where this tournament is at?' thought the man as he continued on his way.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vegeta was training vigorously as usual in the gravity chamber. Sweat glistened on his bare chest in the light as he practiced his kata in the black shorts he usually wore as well as the white golden tipped boots. Like a fierce forgotten dance, he threw punches and kicks at his invincible opponent, as he seemed to wear the scowl it usually has on it as he seemed to be concentrating heavily to improve. He was still angry that Goku was gone and has broken his vow to fight him again. As he continue to train vigorously, he had thought of going to the tournament to get revenge on the human who disgraced his fellow Saiya-jin's name after the fighters barely stopped Cell from destroying Earth. He had stolen the honor that the warriors had and vowed to get it back.

'And I will, Kakarot, in your name,' thought Vegeta. 'I hope you're watching because you'll see the pride that you've never seen.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The day of the tournament arrived as the fighters arrived at the tournament. Goten and Trunks were excited as they ran ahead of the older fighters. Gohan wore fighting gear completely black; the only exception was the white patch on his shoulder that represented his name and fighting style. Heading to the sign up counter, they noticed another person dressed in black with the trench coat, but didn't pay attention until 18 ran into him and knocked him down to the ground.

"Are you all right, sir?" said Krillin as he and 18 decided to help him up. However, the man flinched away from their help and walked off. Angry, 18 stopped him.

"Excuse me!" yelled 18 as the man in black turned around. "We were only trying to help you up! What is your problem?" The man turned on heel and walked off; not answering 18's question.

"Well, that was rude," said Krillin.

"He was a bastard," said 18 bitterly.

"Why don't we all sign up and forget about him?" said Piccolo as Goten and Trunks agreed with him.

"Fine," said Vegeta as they walked up to the counter to sign up.

'I wonder who that guy was?' thought Gohan as he saw the man retreating. 'He wasn't nice at all.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The junior division was down to Goten and Trunks as the two boys fought in mid-air against one another. The crowd thought that the boys were using magic, but the other warriors knew the truth as Trunks powered up into a Super Saiya-jin to knock Goten out of the ring. As the boy hit the stands, he moaned in defeat as Trunks pranced around the ring happily and offered Goten some toys to make up for the loss. Afterwards, Trunks beat Mr. Satan easily as the others thought he let the boy win. Or so they thought.

Once the intermissions were over, the adults were divided down to eight (instead of 16) to find out the champion. The first match pitted Vegeta against the man in the trench coat that blew them off earlier. The next match had Gohan pitted against Mr. Satan (revenge!). The third match had Piccolo fighting against Shin. The last match had Krillin fighting against 18. As Vegeta got up to the stage, he stared down the man as he felt how cold his energy was and seemed to flinch.

"Alright, we have Vegeta and... um... I can't pronounce your name sir," said the announcer.

"It's Trakokota," said the man in a deep voice.

"Tra-ko-ko-ta?" said the announcer. 'Weird name. Where is this guy from?'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On the sidelines, Piccolo rolled the name in his mind as it sounded rather strange.

'Trakokota... Trakokota...' thought Piccolo as he decided to rearrange the letters and came up with a startling realization. 'It can't be...'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What are you waiting for?" said Vegeta as he taunted Trakokota. "Aren't you going to attack?" Trakokota slid into a loose fighting stance; leaving himself completely open.

"I'll let you start," said Trakokota with a cocky smirk. "Give me everything you got."

"Fine," said Vegeta as he transformed into an ascended Super Saiya-jin. The golden energy flared around his body as the dust flew around him. As the warrior flew at Trakokota, he disappeared as Vegeta looked around for the trench-coated fighter that asked him to go all-out against him. Suddenly, he felt the warrior's energy flare as he approached Vegeta from behind as the warrior followed through with a roundhouse kick.

"Wow folks! This is going to be an exciting match!" said the announcer. "It seems as though Trakokota has Vegeta on the ropes!"

"Damn you," said Vegeta. "How can a human do this?"

"Who says I'm a human," said Trakokota with a smirk as a furry brown tail unraveled from his waist and became visible.

"No way! But I thought..." started Vegeta.

"I know who you are, Prince Vegeta and my mission is to destroy all life on this planet as well as this cosmos," said Trakokota.

"No! It's you, isn't it," said Vegeta as the warrior nodded his head. "But I thought you no longer existed! Kakarot!"

"Indeed," said Trakokota as he looked at the announcer. "The one formerly known as Son Goku has returned for revenge."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What?!" said Krillin in disbelief. "Trakokota's really Goku?"

"It makes sense," said Piccolo. "Trakokota is Kakarotto mixed up. Vegeta once told me that Goku was named Kakarotto at birth, but many Saiya-jins thought it was too rounded and shortened it."

"D-dad..." said Gohan as tears came to his eyes, as he grew angry. 'Why didn't you come home if you were alive? Why?'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Now that you know my true identity," said Goku as he pulled his tail around his waist as he slid back into a battle stance, "let's fight."

"Folks! It seems as though Trakokota has revealed himself to be the former world champion of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament," said the announcer.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the stands, Chi-chi fainted as Yamcha caught her in his arms.

"G-Goku... I can't believe it..." said Yamcha as he smiled. "Yeah!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Something's wrong though," said Piccolo as he seemed to gain the fighter's attention. "His life force seems tainted and corrupted for some strange reason."

"What do you mean?" said Krillin as he extended his senses. "I don't feel..." Krillin was suddenly breathless as he fell to his knees. "It feels like it's smothered by something!"

"Exactly," said Piccolo. "But who's behind this?"

"Sin," said Shin as the warriors turned around to see the purple-faced, white Mohawk warrior standing there. "He is the reason your friend is in this condition."

"Sin?" said Piccolo. "Kami once knew of a man who was attempting to destroy the universe. From what the legend states, the Kaioshin sealed Sin away in hell."

"And when your friend fell into hell," said Sin, "he weakened the seal and made it possible for the demon's power to be released at any given time."

"Is there a way we can stop him?" said Krillin.

"There is," said Shin as he looked at Goku, "but for now, there's nothing we can do except let things play out."

"Who are you?" said Gohan. "And tell me what happened to my father?"

"My name is Shin and your father," said Shin as he paused for a moment, "is bound by Sin's power unless he defeats him."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vegeta charged at Goku as he blocked every single punch that was thrown at him. As the warrior easily dodged or feinted off the punches, Vegeta grew angrier by the minute because the warrior was easily defending himself from his might. As Vegeta was about to blast Goku, an explosion shook the stands; throwing the two warriors out of the ring by the blast.

"Folks! It seems something has blown the two warriors out of the ring," said the announcer. "Normally, this match would be decided as a double ring out, but something else intervened."

"Indeed," said a dark voice as a red faced, yellow-eyed demon wearing a blue and white fighting suit landed in the ring. "We did."

Screams were heard as people ran in a panic. Before the ones could escape, they transformed into candy as a chubby figure appeared carrying a wrinkled old toad-like man with him. The jolly fighter cheered as the candy flew up as he ate it in delight.

"Majin Buu!" hissed Shin. "It can't be-!"

"A waste of time," said Goku as he got up and dusted himself off. "We'll continue our match later, my prince." With that, Goku got back into the ring to face the demon. "Before we begin, I suppose an introduction is needed. My name is Goku. How about you kind sir?"

"Ah, how very noble," said the demon. "My name is Dabura and I'll be your death."

"Really?" said Goku as an evil smile crossed his face. "Well, we'll see about that."

________________________________________________________________________

CMG: Well, there you have it. A chapter that reveals that Goku is indeed alive and well. But with the threat of Majin Buu and Sin, which is worse? I like to thank any of my reviewers for sticking with me so far, so here we go!

Psy: Thanks for taking the bait. Hopefully, not many begged for you to reveal the truth. *laughs evilly*

DBZ Chick1: Nope. Haven't forgotten to update yet. Aren't you glad I updated sooner on top of that? Thanks to a snow day and some extra time off, I might finish this story a bit faster. ^_^

Also, I welcome anyone else who's reading to this story. Now on to the previews for the next exciting chapter:

__

"Shin, are you ready to die?" Before Goku could attack, he was slapped in the face by...

"Kakarot," said Vegeta. "Fight me."

"I have no desire," said Goku. "You accused me of selling my soul to Sin when he did nothing of that sort and gave me power beyond my wildest dreams."

"That's bullshit, Kakarot!" yelled Vegeta. "He drugged you and kept you from returning to Earth! You have no idea who your family is nor do you remember who you are!"

"Gohan..." whispered Goku as images began to appear within his mind's eye of a boy he loved so dearly.

****

"Daddy..."

A child's voice seemed to cry out for him; sending a foreign emotion running through the Saiya-jin's heart. He tried to deny the emotion, but something was crying out to him.

****

"Help me..."

The next chapter's going to rather emotional, so get the tissues ready and remember to review on your way out! Thanks! ^_^


	6. Betray Thy Master's Word

****

Bound

Chapter 5

CMG: Let's see. Do I own Dragon Ball Z? Let's take a look in my mailbox! *looks and sees nothing but bills* Nope! I don't think so! *laughs insanely* Now on to the action!

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Through all of my life  
In spite of all the pain  
You know people are funny sometimes  
'Cause they just can't wait  
To get hurt again  
  
Do you remember...?   


There are things we won't recall  
Feelings we'll never find  
It's taken so long to see it  
'Cause we never seemed to have the time  
  
There was always something more important to do  
More important to say  
But "I love you" wasn't one of those things  
And now it's too late  
  
Do you remember...?

~Phil Collins-Do You Remember

******************************************

Goku was staring Dabura down as the dust kicked up in the ring; trying to blind both warriors. It was a tense moment between the two fighters as they looked for a sign of weakness in each other's stance. However, Goku wasn't to be taken lightly; whatever training he dealt with in his seven year absence, he was much more ruthless than ever. He seemed more aggressive than usual and more determined to fight than he used to be.   


"Do you really think I'd back down from a fight," said Dabura.  
  
"No, I was hoping you'd come at me with everything you got," said Goku as his eyes slanted. "Come get me." Goku coaxed the Demon King to attack with a wave of his hand; trying to make the other fighter come at him. Dabura got the message and lunged at Goku as the Saiya-jin slide aside to avoid the oncoming attack. Goku did a roundhouse punch and connected with his head as Dabura went sliding outside the ring and hit the wall.  


"Whoa!" said Krillin. "Goku's wicked!"

"You mean evil," corrected Shin. "He only wants to finish this quickly."

"How come?" said Krillin.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Piccolo. "Goku's not here to have fun. He's acting uptight."

"But why?" said 18.

"I think I have an idea," said Shin. "Sin wants me dead."

"What?" said Krillin. "You're kidding!"

"Do you detect a bit of amusement in my voice?" countered Shin as he spat the question at Krillin. "I'm not joking."

Dabura got up from the rubble as he spat at Goku, but his energy flared up and aimed the spit right back at the Demon King. As it connected to his skin, his body started to turn into stone as Goku smirked.

"I see why you thought I would forfeit," said Goku as he flew up in the air and aimed his hand at the stone statue of Dabura. "Too bad it backfired on you." With an energy blast, the statue Dabura was imprisoned in turned into dust as he lowered his hand rather slowly. Turning around, he saw Baba-di staring wide-eyed at Goku as he smirked evilly. "Now for you and your friend." (A/N: What? You thought Goku was going to go Super Saiya-jin? You wish!)

"Buu, kill him!" whined the annoying wizard known as Baba-di.

"Buu kill! Buu kill!" chanted the gum-like creature known as Majin Buu.

"I think not," said Goku as he lifted his hands up and created a circle with both hands. "Try this on for size!" The ring of energy flew at Buu as it destroyed him instantly. Baba-di cried out in horror as his Bibi-di's creation, Baba-di's late father, was destroyed in seconds. As the light and smoke subsided, Baba-di got rather pissed off.

"Fine! You may have destroyed my creation, but I will not let you kill me!" said Baba-di as he began to chant. "I can use someone like you to take over the universe in his place!"

"Sounds tempting, but I already work for someone," said Goku as he walked up to Baba-di and choked him to death. As he threw the wizard's dead body in the air, Goku burned his body to ashes as he landed. Shin slid into a battle stance as his energy flared up. Goku seemed rather amused. "Shin, are you ready to die?" Before Goku could attack, he was slapped in the face by...

"Gohan!" cried Goten as Gohan had tears in his eyes. The golden aura flared around Gohan as he ascended to the next level, as they stood frozen there. Moments later, Gohan tore his hand back from his father's face rather abruptly; as though the warrior's face was suddenly set ablaze.

"Why dad," said Gohan bitterly as Goku touched the place where his eldest son struck him moments ago. "Why didn't you come home?"

"What are you talking about?" said Goku. "Who are you?"

Gohan was about to slap Goku again, but Vegeta caught Gohan's wrist. "What do you mean, Kakarot? Have you forgotten your family? Or did you sell your soul to Sin?"

"That's none of your business," said Goku as he glared angrily at the Saiya-jin Prince. "Next time though, I won't let you all go that easily." With that, Goku planted two fingers on his forehead and teleported off.

"Dad..." said Gohan as he fell to the ground as his hands dug into his face. Goten ran to his brother's side as he sobbed for the first time in so many years.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Out in the desert, the former Earth-raised warrior known as Goku stood alone on the plateau as he touched the place where Gohan hit him again. That name seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was as the stinging pain was felt in his head. Ever since he awakened from a deep sleep inside Sin's lair, he had no idea who he was as the master called him "Kakarot" more often than most. Yet, one name suited him that his master had called him by during their training sessions as he decided to go by that name: Kakarotto. However, he knew how obvious that name would be if he fought against the Saiya-jin Prince, so he scrambled his name so it wouldn't be that obvious: Trakokota. As he remembered the drugs he was given to suppress his power, he remembered the one time he angered his master when he was bathed within the golden light. The light of a Super Saiya-jin...

*** Flashback... ***

__

"What kind of power is this?" said Goku as golden energy flared around him, changing his midnight hair into a fair color and his eyes a sparkling aqua color.

"A power you will no longer reach, Kakarotto" said Sin's voice as Goku felt the darkness claim him. Hours later, he found himself connected to a machine as he saw a needle in his arm. He flinched, but couldn't remove it because he was strapped down.

*** End Flashback ***

As the Saiya-jin snapped out of the thoughts, he felt someone coming as the figure landed in front of him. Opening his eyes, he saw Vegeta standing there as he walked towards the younger Saiya-jin rather cautiously.

"Kakarot," said Vegeta. "Fight me."

"I have no desire," said Goku. "You accused me of selling my soul to Sin when he did nothing of that sort and gave me power beyond my wildest dreams."

"That's bullshit, Kakarot!" yelled Vegeta. "He drugged you and kept you from returning to Earth! You have no idea who your family is nor do you remember who you are!"

"That's enough!" growled Goku as he flew at Vegeta and punched him in the face. Vegeta made no attempt to move as the punch connected, but to Goku's surprise, Vegeta didn't budge an inch as the Saiya-jin Prince began to laugh.

"Is this truly your full power?" said Vegeta as he lightly removed the other warrior's fist from his face. "Because if it is, I'm truly disappointed." With a flinch, Vegeta transformed into a Super Saiya-jin and knocked Goku away as he went flying into a cliff. "You see, I was holding back earlier in our match! Now I know I'm stronger than you are!"

"Not bad," said Goku as he pulled himself out of the cliff side and dusted his clothes off before sliding into his fighting stance. "However, it will take more than luck to kick my ass, you prick!"

"Bastard!" roared Vegeta as he flew at Goku with his right arm extended. He easily caught Vegeta's wrist as Vegeta swung his other fist at the Saiya-jin as he ducked beneath it and drove his head into the prince's gut. Vegeta's arm almost was dislocated as he flew back as he felt a jerk in his arm as the inertia brought the Saiya-jin towards Goku as he delivered a punch to Vegeta's face before letting go of his wrist and letting him fly into a large boulder.

"You were saying?" said Goku as Vegeta hissed at Goku.

'I can't believe it!' thought Vegeta as he wiped the blood from his mouth as he got up slowly. 'He's not even a Super Saiya-jin and he's easily taking me down! What kind of monster trained him?'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Gohan, are you..." said Chi-chi as Gohan brushed past his mother.

"Leave me alone," said Gohan. "He's not my father anymore."

"But brother!" cried Goten. "Why did you call him 'dad?'"

"I thought he was back," said Gohan as he flew off as he headed towards Kami's Lookout. 'He needs to remember me! He has to or...' "Dad..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the two warriors continued fighting against one another, neither one seemed to be gaining the upper hand as Goku felt himself tiring rather quickly. His vision was blurred as Vegeta managed to see the weakness and slam the warrior into the ground. Before Goku could recover, he was pinned to the ground with rings made of pure energy as Vegeta slapped him in the face.

"Kakarot, surrender," said Vegeta as Goku opened his eyes weakly.

"N-ne..." started Goku before he passed out.

"I never thought in a million years that I would be the one to save you," spat Vegeta angrily as he slung the younger warrior over his shoulder and flew off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"That traitor!" roared an angry voice as a cloaked figure growled angrily at his crystal ball. "How dare he go against my will! He shall pay in blood!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Vegeta carried the unconscious Goku to Kami's Lookout where Piccolo, Shin, Dende, and Mr. Popo were. Golden toe-tipped white boots landed on the ground as the Guardian of Earth ran to Vegeta's side. Piccolo helped Vegeta set Goku down on the ground as Shin pulled out a knife; intending to kill the warrior that remained unconscious on the ground before them. However, Piccolo intervened and stopped Shin from killing the warrior.

"Don't kill him yet," said Piccolo.

"And why not?" said Shin in aghast.

"I have some questions to ask him," said Piccolo as he knelt down to the warrior's side and lightly shook him. That was all that was needed as Goku woke with a start and glared at the people around him. Before he could attack, Piccolo and Vegeta restrained him as the warrior thrashed.

"Let go of me!" growled Goku as though he was about to be drugged. Visions of the minions that Sin owned came to mind as sweat ran down Goku's face.

"Calm down, Son," said Piccolo as though he was intercepting the warrior's thoughts. "No one here's going to hurt you!"

"Then why are you holding me down?" hissed Goku as he tried lashing out at Piccolo in vain. Piccolo glared at him as the Saiya-jin suddenly fell limp.

"That's better," said Piccolo as he kept his gaze frozen on Goku's. "Now tell me what happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" questioned Goku as he felt out of place.

"Don't you remember anything?" said Piccolo. "Earth, Chi-chi, Gohan, and your allies? Have you truly forgotten who you are, Son?"

"I..." said Goku softly, "I don't know. It feels like a lot's been blocked out in my life."

"Explain," said Piccolo.

"When I fully woke up, Sin started training me," said Goku as he dropped his head and looked at the ground. "He gave me beatings and drugged me. And the symbols I saw... they mean something, but I can't remember why they're important."

"What symbols?" said Piccolo as Goku felt uneasy and looked up at the Namekian.

"Do you have something I can use to write them down?" said Goku as Piccolo suddenly made paper and a pen of some kind. Goku went to work writing down the symbols as Shin gasped.

"It's worse than I feared," said Shin as he became pale. "The apocalypse is coming!"

"That's what my master said, but..." said Goku as the sky grew dark.

"Kakarotto," said a dark voice as Sin appeared, wearing the black cloak with the hood still up, "you have disobeyed me. Your punishment is death!"

"What?!" said Piccolo Sin threw a blast at Goku. Before it could hit, Gohan got into the way and took the blast.

"Gohan!" cried Dende as Gohan's body went flying in the air. Goku felt his blood run cold as he watched in horror. As the body hit the lookout with a thud, Sin's laughter was heard ringing, as Shin seemed disgusted.

"Gohan..." whispered Goku as images began to appear within his mind's eye of a boy he loved so dearly.

__

"Daddy..."

****

*FLASH!*

****

A boy was laughing as he ran towards him with his arms open wide. He was wearing a red hat adorned with a stone with four red stars in them on the top; a yellow tunic with his name written on it; green pants; and a pair of black shoes.

**__**

*FLASH!*

A child's voice seemed to cry out for him; sending a foreign emotion running through the Saiya-jin's heart. He tried to deny the emotion, but something was crying out to him.

__

"Help me..."

****

*FLASH!*

****

A same boy was in front of him as he heard himself yelling at him. However, he couldn't hear the words clearly as his sight turned the tyrant standing over them. He had no idea why he felt so much hatred towards the monster that stood in front of him, but after seeing the boy, he felt the need to protect overrule all other thoughts.

****

*FLASH!*

Goku was hissing as the energy surrounded his frame. He didn't know what was going on, but something was screaming at him to go after Sin for harming the boy that had slapped him hours before; the boy that he was slowly beginning to remember.

"Go... han..." said Goku as his eyes were rimmed with tears at the sight of the young man that stood before him.

__

"I love you..."

****

*FLASH!*

****

The boy was in his arms laughing as his laughter was heard clear as day. They were outside on a picnic on a warm day, as the innocent scene seemed to remind him of better days when he wasn't enslaved to the monster known as Sin.

****

*FLASH!*

Other memories arose from within the depths of his mind, but the three memories that stood out from all the rest seemed to trigger something inside the warrior. For the first time since he was a child, crystal-like tears ran down the warrior's face as his body was surrounded by the golden hue. Hostile energy ran through his body as Sin's gasp was heard over the roaring aura surrounding Goku's body as he screamed in frustration and anger. Teal eyes emerged for the first time in a long time as the once brown tail was tinged with the same golden color his hair had become. The Legendary Super Saiya-jin has been reincarnated.

________________________________________________________________________

It was a rather emotional chapter. I nearly cried when Gohan took the blast meant for his father. Anyway, on to reviews:

Psy: Man! You sure know how to threaten me! *laughs nervously with a giant sweat drop behind her head* I'm still working on this story as well as my other story, so don't worry!

DBZ Chick1: Hope this was sad enough for you! I worked hard on this chappy to make it extra tearful!

Luna's Meow: It was hard finding a code name for Goku to use for the tournament since he knew Vegeta would be there. I was thinking of Ottorakak, but I thought that sounded too weird. So, I decided to scramble Kakarotto into Trakokota without losing a single letter. Kakarotto is the Japanese name that Vegeta uses all the time. I thought I'd keep that tradition alive a little by making Sin call Goku that. Originally, I wasn't going to make Goku reveal his identity until later on, but it seemed too complicated, so I ended up bringing out his true identity during the fight. Guess a lot of people were curious to know what happened to our favorite/not-so-favorite character!

K1K: Thanks!

And to all the other anonymous readers out there, I welcome you to this fanfic as it comes closer to an end. Anyway, on to the preview of the next chapter since it seems you're all eager for a sneak peek! Here we go:

__

"Why did you hurt him?" said Goku as his eyes flashed. Deep inside, his instincts were roaring to protect the one he barely knew arose. He seemed willing to do it and decided to ask questions about it later.  


"Your mission is to kill all life forms," said Sin bitterly. "If you don't, I shall kill you here right now without a chance to redeem yourself!"  


"What you're doing is wrong," yelled Goku, despite the way he was brought up by the monster that stood before him. "I may not have my full memories back, but I know this isn't right! Why are you killing everyone?"  


"As for you two," said Sin as Piccolo and Shin found themselves flying into a wall, "if Kakarotto returns, tell him that I kidnapped his son and will return him if he comes to me."

"No... Gohan..." said Piccolo weakly as his consciousness was claimed by fatigue. Shin was beside himself.

"Goku..." said Shin weakly as he lost consciousness as well.

"I remember those names," said Goku weakly, "but I can't remember where I heard them from..." Goku winced as he felt pain in his mind as his hands grasped his head. Tien was at Goku's side as the Saiya-jin breathed hard.

"Easy Goku," said Tien. "You shouldn't be trying to remember all of us that hard. You're putting a lot of strain on your mind."

"What's my daddy like," said Goten as Chi-chi was taken back by the question.

"Honey, I really don't know," said Chi-chi as she felt upset.

"Can you tell me what he was like when you knew him?" said Goten. "Big brother never told me and neither did you."

"What is this place?" said Goku.

...a room that held his memories. It was almost a completely white room as he saw books on the shelves. Touching the covers of the books, he saw flashes of the past he once knew as he pulled his hand away as though fire tried to burn away the flesh on his hand. In the center of the room, he saw a single book on the chair as he cautiously picked it up. Unlike the other books, it didn't cause any memories to arise deep within the depths of his mind as he sat down. As he opened the book, he saw the weird symbols again.

'What does it mean though?' thought Goku as he felt so confused.

****

"You know what it is..."

Hope that's enough to leave you all in suspense! I would give more, but it would give away the surprise. Until next time, please review on your way out! Bai bai!


	7. Evoking the Anamnesis

****

Bound

Chapter 6

CMG: Hoo hum... Another busy day. Let's see. I don't own Dragon Ball Z, so don't think about suing me. Why else do you think this is posted on Fanfiction.net under this category if you think I own it? Enough ranting. I suppose we're all eager to know what happens next, eh?

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__

The only world I know is the world I cling to  
It's a world that I'd want to save  
Optimist or pessimist, what am I suppose to be

If you want to change the world, forget it  
The future's not in our hands  
If you want to change the world, forget it  
The pigs already set in

The optimist understands why the world's gone down the drain  
The pessimist never bends, constricting thoughts in vain  
From the pessimist's point of view there's nothing we can do  
As I paint this picture gray and taste the pain  
I'll play the optimist

__

~Nevermore-Optimist Or Pessimist

******************************************

The golden energy flowed around the Saiya-jin as Goku looked in aghast at Sin. He was rather pissed off as the energy roared around him. If looks could kill, Sin would be screaming bloody murder right now on the ground in a lot of pain. In a sick twisted sense of humor, Goku wanted the monster that corrupted him to die a slow painful death before he sent him to King Yemma's for his eternal punishment in hell. The same hell he was fall into seven years ago before his innocence was stripped from him mind, body, and soul.

"Why did you hurt him?" said Goku as his eyes flashed. Deep inside, his instincts were roaring to protect the one he barely knew arose. He seemed willing to do it and decided to ask questions about it later.  
  
"Your mission is to kill all life forms," said Sin bitterly. "If you don't, I shall kill you here right now without a chance to redeem yourself!"  


"What you're doing is wrong," yelled Goku, despite the way he was brought up by the monster that stood before him. "I may not have my full memories back, but I know this isn't right! Why are you killing everyone?"  
  
"To rebuild this universe within my own image," said Sin. "Bloodshed, greed, lust, and all things dark shall be the only thing that will exist in the cosmos after I reap the weak and innocent from the strong and tainted."  


"You're wrong, Sin," said Goku as he felt angry at the one who corrupted him. "You have no right to harm anyone in that category! The cosmos should be safe from evil like you!"  


"So, the traitor decides to protect the innocent and weak," said Sin. "Very well. I'll let you die with them!"

Sin flies at Goku as he found himself hanging by his neck painfully. As the cloaked being took the Saiya-jin struggling to get out of his grasp, Vegeta got pissed off and flew at Sin with everything he had.  


"Tut, tut," said Sin as he easily caught the fist in one hand. "That's not a nice thing to do."

"Neither is trying to destroy all life, you asshole," growled Vegeta as he ripped his wrist from the dark psychopath that stood before him.

"It's a shame you aren't the same arrogant asshole that served Freeza during his reign of terror," said Sin as though he was reading the Saiya-jin Prince's mind. Vegeta felt the memories plague him as he tried to fight against them.  


"Vegeta!" yelled Piccolo as the prince fell at Sin's feet. Goku was still choking as he clung to life.  


"Any last words before you die, traitor?" said Sin as he directed the question to the fallen hero that hung in his grasp

"Yeah," said Goku as he had trouble breathing. "Look out... behind you..."  


"I'm not falling for that tri-" started Sin before an energy blast hit his back. Standing there behind Goku's master was the fully healed Gohan as the hybrid managed to make a direct hit. Sin released Goku as he fell from Kami's Lookout no longer conscious.  


"You will regret doing that for that act will be your last," said Sin as he turned around pissed off and looked at the hybrid in pure rage.  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Goku's body was falling through the soft billowing clouds quickly brushing by as the cool air brushed against the fabric of his clothes as well as his hair. As the Saiya-jin fell towards Earth, something caught the warrior as the figure held him tight. Slowly, Goku opened his eyes and saw the face of the person who caught him.

"Goku, are you alright?" said the figure as Goku's vision cleared. The man was bald and had three eyes as the warrior in the figure's arms nodded his head.

"Yeah, but who are you?" said Goku weakly.

"I'm your friend," said the figure before Goku passed out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back at the Lookout, Gohan rolled out of the way from the blast that Sin threw at him. Gohan lunges at Sin angrily as the warrior easily evaded the attack.

"You're just as your father says," said Sin, trying to provoke the hybrid. "You're a weakling."

"My father never called me that!" said Gohan angrily as he tried to punch Sin in the face, but met nothing but air.

"Ah, but he did after I poisoned his mind and body with drugs," said Sin as Gohan found himself on his knees as the visions plagued his mind. "Join me, Gohan and we'll get revenge."

"Never..." hissed Gohan as he lost consciousness.

"As for you two," said Sin as Piccolo and Shin found themselves flying into a wall, "if Kakarotto returns, tell him that I kidnapped his son and will return him if he comes to me."

"No... Gohan..." said Piccolo weakly as his consciousness was claimed by fatigue. Shin was beside himself.

"Goku..." said Shin weakly as he lost consciousness as well.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Are you alright?" said the figure's voice as Goku opened his eyes.

"Yeah," said Goku as the figure dabbed his head with a cool wet cloth. "What's your name?"

"You truly forgotten all of us, haven't you," said the figure. "I'm Tien. My friend, Chou-su is out getting fire wood and will be back soon."

"I remember those names," said Goku weakly, "but I can't remember where I heard them from..." Goku winced as he felt pain in his mind as his hands grasped his head. Tien was at Goku's side as the Saiya-jin breathed hard.

"Easy Goku," said Tien. "You shouldn't be trying to remember all of us that hard. You're putting a lot of strain on your mind."

Goku's breathing labored as he looked up at Tien. For a moment, he saw the warrior standing before him with a blast aimed at him, but it only lasted for a moment before it disappeared. Shaking his head slightly, Goku dismissed it as the sweat ran down his body.

"I want to remember, but something's blocking it," said Goku sadly.

"Whoever did this to you, he must have made it hard on you to remember," said Tien.

Suddenly, the door opened as a small boy-like person entered the house with firewood in his arms. His skin was an albino color and sported red circles on his cheeks. He wore a small green coat, a small black hat, yellow pants, and black shoes. As the little man walked towards the bed, Goku had another vision as he saw him fighting against someone just as short. The small man noticed.

"Chou-su, after you're done, we need to help Goku," said Tien.

"Right," said the small man known as Chou-su.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The fire roared as Goku sat on the ground cross legged. His shadow danced along with the other shadows inside the cabin as Tien sat behind the Saiya-jin on a stool as he gently placed his hands on the warrior's shoulders.

"Are you nervous," said Tien.

"A little," said Goku. It wasn't a lie. He was afraid of what he might see as Chou-su burned some incense.

"Just relax," said Tien. "We'll help you remember."

As the incense burned, Goku was instructed into meditation as he cleared his mind. As it happened, Chou-su's psychic abilities began its work pn the Saiya-jin as Goku fell deeper and deeper within himself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Did you find him?" said Piccolo as Vegeta seemed irritated. "I'll take that as a no then."

"This is pointless," said Vegeta angrily. "Why do we even bother when he's not even on our side?"

"Because he gave us a chance to change," said Piccolo. "Now it's our turn to do the same for him."

"Still, Vegeta's got a point," said Shin as he flew towards the group. "Let's call it a night and continue our search for him tomorrow."

"By then, we might be too late," said Piccolo as he flew off. 'If he falls into Sin's clutches, then billions of lives will be at stake.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gohan woke up as he felt his body slammed against the wall. He opened his eyes painfully as he found himself in a laboratory that not even Bulma would dare create as he felt afraid for his very life.

"You should be," said Sin as he picked up Gohan's thoughts easily. "This is where your father was taken once I kidnapped him seven years ago."

"W-what a-a-are y-y-you going t-t-to d-do to m-me?" stuttered Gohan as he felt afraid for his life.

"I'm going to do the same thing to you as I did to your father by using the machine, Apocalypse to wipe out your memories," said Sin as he drew out a needle.

"Apocalypse is a machine?" said Gohan as he felt something grab his right wrist.

"Not just any machine," said Sin as Gohan found himself suspended in air by wires. "It is a hybrid of both machine and living organisms. The ultimate life form created in order to rule out life within the very cosmos." Sin lunged at Gohan as the needle pierced the skin on his arm. Then, the one known as Gohan knew nothing more.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Mommy?" said Goten innocently as Chi-chi tucked her youngest son in bed.

"What is it, Goten?" said Chi-chi.

"What's my daddy like," said Goten as Chi-chi was taken back by the question.

"Honey, I really don't know," said Chi-chi as she felt upset.

"Can you tell me what he was like when you knew him?" said Goten. "Big brother never told me and neither did you."

"Well he was brave and strong," said Chi-chi as she remembered the times when she actually knew her husband. "He protected our family as well as the world where we live."

"Do you think that daddy will come live with us?" said Goten. "I'd really like it if he did!"

"I hope so," lied Chi-chi, knowing that deep inside of her, she wished the same. Kissing her son on the forehead, she walked out of his room and closed the door behind her. As she walked quietly to her room, the door closed as a tear hit the floor. 'Kami, please bring my boys home safely. I can't stand suffering another lone night alone in my bed without Goku...'

*******

Darkness. As far as one could see, there was nothing but a void there. No life could exist in any place without going insane. For Goku, he was used to it, but it wasn't the same darkness he was used to. A part of him knew that his body was in the hands of his allies that would never harm him. Then why is it that Goku feels afraid? Is he afraid of what he might find buried within him after years of abuse? Or was he afraid of himself?

'I won't know the answers unless I search for them,' thought Goku as he took a cautious step forward. Nothing happened when he took that first step, so he took another. And another. Finally, he was walking another 20 paces to be sure the floor wouldn't collapse on him. He felt alright as he took another step and this time, there was no ground as he felt himself falling into the void that he was in.

He thought he blacked out, but when he got up, he saw a door in front of him. It seemed as though it wasn't attached to any walls as he found he could go around any side of it and it would remain perfectly upright. It was similar to when Bugs Bunny played a trick on the coyote with the door prop, but this was no laughing matter. There were lives at stake and memories for the Saiya-jin to regain as he opened the door and stepped into...

"What is this place?" said Goku.

...a room that held his memories. It was almost a completely white room as he saw books on the shelves. Touching the covers of the books, he saw flashes of the past he once knew as he pulled his hand away as though fire tried to burn away the flesh on his hand. In the center of the room, he saw a single book on the chair as he cautiously picked it up. Unlike the other books, it didn't cause any memories to arise within the depths of his mind as he sat down. As he opened the book, he saw the weird symbols again.

'What does it mean though?' thought Goku as he felt so confused.

__

"You know what it is..."

"Who said that?" said Goku as he looked around; getting up from the chair as he did so as he threw the book on the chair.

__

"The part of you that you've denied for so long..."

"What are you talking about?" said Goku as the door slammed shut. Goku tried to get out, but he couldn't as the room and door seemed to vanish along with the books, except the book that fell to the ground where the chair once stood. A rumble was felt as a shadowy figure appeared wearing a pure white cloak with a hood hiding his face. A part of the Saiya-jin yearned for answers yet the other was afraid of what he might find out about himself.

__

"You claimed you were a Saiya-jin and you called yourself Kakarot. That's not the entire truth..."

"I am!" said Goku as he felt a sting in his heart.

__

"Lies! Tell me why you hesitate to kill? Why do you hesitate to embrace your Saiya-jin heritage entirely?"

"My heritage..." said Goku softly as the figure moved closer. "I thought I did embrace it!"

__

"You are fooling yourself by following Sin's control on you. He has taken your power, my power, OUR power, and abused it for his own greed."

"If that's so, what should I be doing?" questioned Goku.

__

"You should be protecting your mate and kin. Protecting your comrades and your prince from total annihilation from the Apocalypse that Sin is using to brainwash your eldest descendant even as we speak."

"You mean... Gohan?" said Goku as the figure nodded his head.

__

"You may know him by his name, but the feelings are one-sided. Remember who you are and take down that bastard!"

"How can I remember?" said Goku as the room reappeared along with the bookshelf as the figure pointed to the books along the wall that seemed to hold all the knowledge the Saiya-jin needed at that moment.

__

"Touch the books that line the shelves and embrace its knowledge. Then only then are you ready to stop Sin."

The figure grabbed Goku's hand roughly as it guided the shaking appendage to the bookshelf full of books. Before Goku could pull back, he felt his hand touch the bookcase as memories flooded his mind. Trying to pull back, he couldn't nor wouldn't as the figure faded away entirely along with the books and room again. As he opened his eyes, he saw Sin laughing at him as he saw his son in a weak state. Growling, he almost went after them, but found himself in the darkness once more as he looked around confused.

__

"This is only a vision. Awaken, Goku..."

*******

Sunlight danced in the window as the birds were heard singing in the woods. Goku woke up feeling warm as he found himself on a soft and comfy futon. Getting up, he felt dizzy as he noticed that the clothes that his master gave him were completely gone and he was almost stripped of everything except the undergarments he donned. Looking around the cabin, he saw a bundle and a letter there as he read it. Discarding the letter, he opened the package as he pulled out a pair of forest green pants and a white shirt. Black shoes were sitting on the floor as he slipped his feet into them and walked outside the cabin.

'That vision,' thought Goku as he remembered how real it felt. 'It seemed as though the part I denied was the part that was trying to protect this world from harm. It makes sense now why I defended my son back on Kami's Lookout.' A flashback when Goku was a Super Saiya-jin and guarding Gohan was seen as Sin's anger brought him back from that daydream rather abruptly.

"Goku!" cried the high-pitched voice of Chou-su's. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks to you guys," said Goku.

"Piccolo came by a few hours ago saying that Gohan was kidnapped by Sin," said Chou-su worried. Goku got angry.

"What?" yelled Goku.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Gohan's going through the changes much faster than his father," said Sin. "Soon, all life shall fear my name!"

Inside the tank, Gohan's eyes were wide open as he seemed to be frozen there completely nude as the wires dug into his flesh. He almost seemed completely lifeless as a tail floated behind the Saiya-jin in the liquid full of bubbles.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Goku arrived at the Lookout with pure rage written all over his face. Piccolo, Shin, Dende, and Vegeta looked on in horror as the Goku seemed to be barely able to fight against the urge to kill the Supreme Kai the moment he laid eyes on him. Before anyone could act, Goku picked up Shin rather aggressively.

"Tell me what happened to my damn son right now, Shin!" said Goku as he threw the almighty Supreme Kai against the wall and held him there with his hand clamped on his throat.

"Sin took your son with him to brainwash him," gasped Shin as he barely was able to make eye contact with one eye open. Goku dropped Shin unceremoniously to the ground as he growled. Shin rubbed his neck painfully. 'Note: never **ever** piss him off ever again.'

"Vegeta, Piccolo," said Goku, "I want you guys to come with me so I can kick this guy's ass. He'll regret laying a hand on my son."

Vegeta never saw this side of Goku before. The way he acted almost made the Saiya-jin Prince believe he discarded all his upbringing on Earth. Piccolo was equally surprised as he laid his hand upon Goku's shoulder. Vegeta followed suit as the three phased out.

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Well, that's another chapter. Hopefully, you all enjoyed the chapter. Anyway, on to reviews:

Amy: Thanks. I'll definitely update again soon!

DBZ Chick: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter.

Gak: You know what's funny, I never really got to see The Matrix all the way, so there's no way I could steal from their plotlines. I did see up to Episode 1 and a small portion of Episode 2, so I don't know the plot in the movie. As for the songs, I guess I can cut them down a little bit. Hopefully, it will get more interesting as the story comes closer to an end, so I hope you stick around.

Anyway, here's a little of what to expect in the next chapter:

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"So, the traitor comes crawling back," said Sin.

"What are you doing to them?" said Goku.

"I'm turning them into my slaves so that they can destroy the universe," said Sin. "All of their memories are being wiped out even as we speak."

"Is he alright?" said the smaller one.

"We must get him out," said the taller one as the two figures took the glass off. As they freed Goku from the shackles, he suddenly came to as he winced.

"Master," said Gohan as he bowed, "let me go and destroy Earth. I want to bathe in the blood and do the job that my father couldn't handle."

"Very well," said Sin in bliss. "Kidnap the guardian of Earth and destroy it."

"Chi-chi!" sobbed Goku as his eyes seemed to turn completely red as he yelled out in pure rage. "CHI-CHI!"

This might start getting darker than what I was expecting. Hopefully, you all don't mind very much. Anyway, I'll make sure I update sooner next time. Due to a recent loss in my family, I decided to take this fic in another direction that I was planning. Anyway, I hope to make another update in the near future.


	8. The Old Scars Left Unhealed

****

Bound

Chapter 7

Unless I somehow managed to inherit the rights of Akira Toriyama, my statement still stands. I don't own Dragon Ball Z, okay? Now on to the reason we're all here. Before you advance though, let me just state that the rating is starting to sway towards R, so be prepared for anything in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it since it's just as dark as this story's going to get. Oh and due to the complexity of this chapter, no lyrics. *fans cheer or boo, whichever your cup of tea may be*

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Gohan woke up completely nude as clothes were thrown down next to him. He was still dripping wet as Sin turned away from the boy as though he was diseased.

"Get dressed, Gohan," said Sin. "The traitor is approaching this place."

"As you wish," said Gohan coldly as he put the clothes on.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Outside Sin's lair, Goku felt the chills running up his spine. It felt like yesterday he was brought here against his own will as Vegeta and Piccolo seemed rather uninterested and unimpressed by the design of the lair. It looked like it was made after a creepy castle out of an old horror movie. As they walked across the slime-filled moat, they found that inside the castle, the walls were made of pure metal. Footsteps vibrated through the corridor as the three warriors looked around cautiously.

"Kakarot," said Vegeta, "you know this place well, don't you?"

"Yes," said Goku. "Though I was limited to visit some areas."

"Hn," said Vegeta.

"Son, is your son far from here?" said Piccolo.

"Not really," said Goku as they reached a hallway that had a hall retreating towards the left. "He's down this way." Goku pointed towards the left. "Inside his lab."

"Right," said Vegeta. "Should we approach cautiously or take him by complete surprise?"

"Neither," said Gohan's voice as they were ambushed from behind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Goku woke up with wires around his form. Sin slapped the Saiya-jin across the face as Goku saw the fate of his allies as they hung limply in the tanks similar to the one that the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was in.

"So, the traitor comes crawling back," said Sin.

"What are you doing to them?" said Goku.

"I'm turning them into my slaves so that they can destroy the universe," said Sin. "All of their memories are being wiped out even as we speak."

"Master," said Gohan in a cold voice, "should I kill him?"

"No," said Sin. "Not yet. He will witness the death of those he cares about along with the Earth."

"You monster," said Goku.

"Silence!" roared Sin as Goku was slapped in the face again, only this time, much harder as he fell unconscious. "Gohan, take the traitor to the isolation chamber. He deserves to be reminded that he is mine for all eternity."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Elsewhere, two scarlet-cloaked figures run through Sin's lair in stealth as they avoided traps and pitfalls. As they reach the corridor where the others were at, they suddenly jumped up as Gohan walked from the path from the left and took his father towards a room near the end of that hallway. There, a bed with glass was sitting there along with shackles as Gohan removed the glass and placed Goku inside. The shackles snapped on as Gohan fitted his father with a visor of some sort. After he was done, he walked back to where the others were held captive as the two figures landed against the ground quietly and went to the room where Goku was held as the taller figure opened the door. The two figures walked to where the Saiya-jin was bound as he still was unconscious and unaware of what was going on.

"Is he all right?" said the smaller one.

"We must get him out," said the taller one as the two figures took the glass off. As they freed Goku from the shackles, he suddenly came to as he winced from the images he was seeing within the visor.

"Close your eyes," said the smaller one as Goku complied and the visor was taken off without any serious consequences. "Are you all right? You can open your eyes now."

"What's going on?" said Goku as he opened his eyes and saw the two figures standing there.

"There's no time to explain," said the taller one as Goku suddenly felt disoriented.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Minutes later, Gohan checked and saw that his father was no longer bound as Gohan returned to Sin and bowed before him in shame.

"Sin, my father's somehow escaped," said Gohan.

"If that's the case, then there's no need to worry about him anymore," said Sin. "He's will pay within time for disobeying my word."

Sin turned, as he looked at Piccolo and Vegeta floating there almost lifeless within the tubes. The two warriors were pale as snow as wires ran over their skin, breathing masks that allowed them to breathe, and the visors that played the cryptic code Goku seen during his time spent in Sin's grasp.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Green grass swayed as Goku fell over on his back and didn't bother to get up for a moment or so. The two figures remained standing as Goku sat up and looked around curious.

"Where are we and why did you bring me here?" said Goku as he found himself on a rather beautiful planet that seemed to defy all logic. The sky was a soft orchard color as stars and moons adorn the sky. It felt familiar to Earth with it's majestic beauty down to the forest green grass and trees; yet at the same time, it felt like he was an alien world as the Saiya-jin had mixed feelings of being on the planet that didn't seem to exist in the mortal realm. It almost seemed perfectly flawless as he saw the smaller figure seemed to have a familiar aura that he felt before.

"To help you," said the shorter figure as he removed his hood.

"Shin!" said Goku in surprise as he realized that the aura matched what he sensed during the tournament. He felt guilty for trying to kill the dynasty before during the tournament and wanted to apologize. "But I thought that you..."

"No," said Shin, "I should be the one who's sorry for trying to keep you from fulfilling destiny."

"Master, did we have to bring him here though," said the taller one as he removed his cloak. He had a pink face and white hair tied back in a long ponytail. Two earrings decorated his ears.

"Kibito, right now, Goku needs someone to guide him in reaching his full potential," said Shin. "Sin has sealed away Goku's full power and we must awaken it."

"How?" said Goku getting up as Shin pushed him back down gently as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin felt exhaustion creep up on him all the sudden.

"Sleep," said Shin as Goku suddenly lost consciousness.

"Master, was that really necessary?" said Kibito.

"It has to be done this way," said Shin as he knelt down and started chanting. A soft glow surrounded the Saiya-jin as Kibito watched in curiosity.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Master," said Gohan as he bowed, "let me go and destroy Earth. I want to bathe in the blood and do the job that my father couldn't handle."

"Very well," said Sin in bliss. "Kidnap the guardian of Earth and destroy it."

"As you wish," said Gohan as he teleports out.

*******

Water was heard dripping as Goku looked around. He found himself sitting on a rock by himself almost completely in the nude. He wore a loincloth that seemed to barely cover anything as he looked around. It was foggy as he saw the murky water under him. For the first time, he looked at his reflection and was afraid of what he saw when he saw himself killing those that he vowed long ago to protect. Was Sin haunting him in his dreams or was it a part of a scheme he was set upon when he was abducted and brainwashed?

__

"I see you are disgusted by the images you've seen."

"Obviously," said Goku rather sarcastically as he saw the figure walking through the mist on top of the water. It was as though it was made out of Jell-o, as the ripples seemed to stir something inside the Earth-raised Saiya-jin that sat upon the rock in front of him. "Wait. Why are you here?"

__

"I serve only to remind you of who you are. Right now though, you need to be purified."

"Purified?" said Goku as the figure stopped a few inches from him. Before he could ask him anything else, the water suddenly began to splash around him as it rose up. It created a wall as Goku was surrounded entirely inside the wall of water. Touching the water, it felt warm as it splashed upon his skin. It was like he was inside a fountain as he felt the water wash over his hand. Pulling it out, he noticed how much whiter the skin was past his wrist as he looked in awe. The water drew closer as he became nervous all the sudden; afraid what might happen if it touched him.

__

"It won't harm you. Just relax."

Renewed with confidence, he relaxed as the water washed over his toes and his feet as it moved closer to him. His back felt it as well as his hair as the water dripped down his shoulders and arms. His hands to his shoulders were cleansed as water dripped down and fell on his head as it ran down his face and chest. It felt refreshing and revived his life force as the water seemed to put him at peace.

"What was that just now?" said Goku almost breathlessly as he felt his body hum with an unspeakable radiance that was pure as being reborn.

__

"The cleansing of the body. Your body was tainted with hatred and pain. Now awaken. We will meet again when the time comes."

"When will that be?" said Goku as he felt himself awakening.

__

"Soon..."

*******

Goku woke up as the calmness coursed through his body. His energy was higher than he used to remember as he felt himself shutter from the intense energy he felt coursing in his body alone. If anything, he felt like he awakened from a lifelong sleep as he sat up. As he did, he heard Shin gasp in surprise.

"What's wrong?" said Goku.

"Goku, have you no idea how much power you possess?" said Shin.

"Huh?" said Goku.

"You're stronger than I am and it surprises me because it has been sealed away inside you the entire time," Shin said seriously. "I think Sin sealed away that power so you wouldn't be able to use it to oppose him."

"After what he did, he deserves it," said Goku bitterly. "I want to go there now and kick his sorry ass and save my friends."

"Not yet," said Shin. "Something's about to happen."

"Huh?" questioned Goku. "What could happen at a time like this?"

"Anything," said Shin.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The door closed as Chi-chi was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Heavy footsteps were heard as Chi-chi walked out of the kitchen and entered the living room. There, Gohan stood with an evil glare in his eyes.

"Gohan..." said Chi-chi as Gohan stood there a sadistic smirk on his face. His eyes held a bit of sorrow, but his face wore a mask that made Chi-chi afraid of the eldest son.

"Die," said Gohan, his voice low, as he fired an energy blast at his mother; her scream echoing through the woods as the birds fly off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Through the bond he shared with his wife and mate, Goku suddenly felt sick as he knelt down and retched upon the green grass. He felt something wrong as though he lost a part of himself in that moment Chi-chi died. Though he felt the same familiar feeling when he died, it was twice as worse feeling it when he was the one on the receiving end of losing the one he swore he would protect from harm.

"Chi-chi!" sobbed Goku as his eyes seemed to turn completely red he yelled out in pure rage. "CHI-CHI!"

"Goku, calm down!" yelled Shin as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's tail lashed and a primitive growl emitted from the warrior's throat. The earth shook as lightening danced around the warrior's body as Kibito and Shin watched in shock as the warrior cried out in pure adulterating rage. Before the two dynasties could reach out for the warrior, he suddenly teleported back to Earth in order to kill whoever killed his mate.

"He's gone mad!" said Kibito as he looked at Shin. "Aren't you going to stop him?"

"At this point, we might as well pray he doesn't destroy Earth!" said Shin as he seemed more concerned about the planet instead of the Saiya-jin's life. "Let's go after him and try to bring him to his senses."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blood stained the walls as Goku saw his wife lying on the ground with a blood stained sheet over her body. The only thing that wasn't covered was her face. It still wore a shocked expression, yet lacked the life it had earlier as her eyes were gazed over. Standing above her body, Goku stood with his blonde hair hanging in his face. Though he normally wouldn't cry, the tears of pure sorrow ran down his cheeks as he lifted his mate's corpse into his arms. She still felt warm and was slowly cooling as the tears fell into her silky black hair as he held her and wished he could have been able to protect her from harm.

"I promise I'll stop him," whispered Goku. "This is all my fault and I must do what I can to repent."

Resting her upon the ground, he paid no heed to the blood that soaked upon his clothes as he concentrated to find the one responsible for his wife's murder: his own son.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"No! Don't kill me!" yelled Mr. Satan as Gohan stood at the window with a look of vengeance in his eyes. "I'll give you anything you want! Money! Fame! Power! Just don't kill me!"

"You stolen my family's honor and spat in our faces when you said that you didn't care what happened to my father," hissed Gohan angrily. "You deserve death for the crime you committed."

A man's scream was heard as Goku teleported outside the mansion where Mr. Satan lived as he tensed up. Entering the mansion, he entered the room where he found the fraud that took the honor that his son gained from killing Cell seven years prior dead on the floor with his neck snapped. Not far away, he saw his son sitting at the desk as he smiled evilly at his father.

"Welcome home, father," said Gohan coldly as he sat in the chair like an evil dictator would. Goku felt the tainted aura, as his body became cold.

________________________________________________________________________

There. I think I killed the PG-13 rating with two gruesome character deaths. Hopefully, my fellow reviewers will stick around for the next chapter as long as they don't do this in real life. Now on to the reviews:

Titanic Babe: Hold back the iceberg! I've updated! *laughs nervously* I'm glad you're enjoying the fic.

DBZ Chick: As you wish.

Cute Kitty 2: Well, it was that obvious since Piccolo somehow **knew** something was different about the warrior. Besides, it's not everyday some random warrior pops out of nowhere with a very high power level and name that sounds almost similar to a name he or she's heard before. Originally though, Trakokota's identity was going to remain a secret for another few chapters, but I'm horrible at keeping secrets. ^_^;

Psy: Glad that you have been patient. As I already stated, I didn't update on time due to a sudden death within the family and it was very hard on me since he got ill the day my term started at school and his death the next day. Through that loss, I decided to make this fic extra dark and dreary. Don't worry though, this fic **will** have a happy ending. I hate sad endings!

Lightning Struck My Heart: You like my Matrix references, eh? Wait until the next chapter! It will be a chapter that will leave you hungry for more!

Luna's Meow: You haven't seen nothing yet! This chapter's the start of a darkening relationship! Muhahaha!

Marshmellow13Dragon: Thanks. Yeah, Gohan's pretty much evil due to some _evil_ influences. *glares at Sin as he stands there smug*

Any Chi-chi fans out there: Gomen. I didn't mean to do it! *points at Sin accusingly* He made me do it! I know Psy wouldn't mind if she was dead, but I know there are others out there who like her. I do (somewhat), but not enough to spare her in this chapter. Anyway, now for a sneak peak at the next chapter:

__

"Why?" said Goku as he fought to keep himself from attacking his son. "Why did you kill your mother?"

__

"To lure you out of hiding," said Gohan as he was trying to anger the warrior. It seemed to be working as Goku clenched and unclenched his fist as his face was fixed in a snarl; baring his teeth at his son like a wild animal. "What's wrong? I thought that you would enjoy the sight of the man that stole your honor dead before you."

__

"The **honor **you speak of **isn't **to kill others," said Goku as he tried to make his point; but was failing fast as his son seemed unmoved by his attempts. "You had no right to kill your mother and you didn't need to kill this man."

__

"Wait Goten," said Trunks. "Why should we trust him when he could be the enemy?"

"Well, he doesn't look evil," said Goten innocently.

"Not **everyone **that Goku knows is nice and that's why your mom's dead right now," countered Trunks angrily.

"What's wrong, Kakarotto?" said Sin in a delighted voice. "I thought you would like seeing your allies on the side you once were on."

"You corrupted them," said Goku bitterly.

"Only to carry out my word to the very edge of the cosmos," said Sin. "That my word is law and that I will make it so that my ways destroy everyone in both life and death!"

"Tien, I'm sorry I couldn't save you," said Goku. "I vow I'll get revenge for you and Yamcha." Getting up, he saw Vegeta and Sin both standing there waiting as he got angry at both of them.

"That vow will be broken as well as your soul," said Sin as Goku suddenly found himself on the ground again.

****

"At this moment, you are missing a part of yourself. The part that is Saiya-jin..."

"Where is it?" said Goku.

****

"It's right here..."

Hopefully, that will leave you hungry for the next chapter. Until then, make sure you review!


	9. Prelude to Destruction

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Bound

Chapter 8

Okay. I already said it about eight times now. If you want it a ninth time, then here it is in six words: I don't own Dragon Ball Z. As I stated in the last chapter, this is probably now a rated R fic due to blood, character deaths, cursing, and fighting. *reads what she last wrote* Fighting involves blood and cursing, so that's why I include it! Now read on!

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Inside Mr. Satan's mansion, Gohan was staring coldly at his father as a lazy tail curled seductively behind the hybrid. Goku felt chills running through his body as he sensed the tainted energy his eldest son was emitting. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin was hissing and trying to resist the call of Sin's dark power as he stood his ground against the one who killed his own mother in cold blood and the fraud that took the glory and spat in the faces of the other warriors.

"Why?" said Goku as he fought to keep himself from attacking his son. "Why did you kill your mother?"

"To lure you out of hiding," said Gohan as he was trying to anger the warrior. It seemed to be working as Goku clenched and unclenched his fist as his face was fixed in a snarl; baring his teeth at his son like a wild animal. "What's wrong? I thought that you would enjoy the sight of the man that stole your honor dead before you."

"The _honor_ you speak of _isn't_ to kill others," said Goku as he tried to make his point; but was failing fast as his son seemed unmoved by his attempts. "You had no right to kill your mother and you didn't need to kill this man."

"He mocked our name though," said Gohan. "Seven years ago after you died, he rubbed it in our faces that you were torn apart by Cell and said that you were weak. He stole the kill that all of us managed to do and called us all frauds. After that, he made people believe that if we were to return and claim differently, that his word would overturn ours. Mom tried to make people believe it was us, but she had to serve a prison sentence while I took care of Goten. My brother always asked who you were and I never told him because you left us!"

"I didn't leave by choice though, Gohan," said Goku softly as his voice grew louder by the minute. "I did it so that Earth could be safe and if I did die, you _could_ have avenged my death!"

"Yeah right," countered Gohan as he stood up and threw the chair back into the wall as it went straight through and left a hole there. "I heard you and mom arguing right before the Cell Games about if you were going to let me fight and you were pretty much hell bent on making me fight him and unleash my full power."

"Well Gohan, if you want to take out your anger on me, then go ahead," yelled Goku as Gohan threw the desk at him as papers flew like the wind was knocking them aside. Goku teleported out of the way of the desk as it slammed into the wall and left a satisfying crack in the wall as plaster rained upon the furnished desk. Goku appeared moments later as he slammed his fist in his son's face as he goes careening at the window as the glass shattered upon impact. As it rained upon the ground below, Gohan righted himself in the air as Goku flew out and Gohan punched Goku in the face back inside the mansion where he hit a bust of Mr. Satan's head as it fell and shattered against the ground.

"Well, well," said Gohan as the warrior got up and looked in aghast at his son. "Where's your confidence now, father? There's no way you can beat me since Sin's given me more power to defeat you."

"You may be right about that," said Goku as he shifted back into a fighting stance, "but let's take this somewhere deserted."

"No need," said Gohan as he held out his hand. With a blast, he leveled the entire town as Goku stared agape. "Is this good enough?"

Goku got rather pissed off and suddenly teleported behind his son and grabbed his tail roughly as he fell to his knees. "I _meant_ somewhere besides this place!" With a scowl on his face, Goku lifted two fingers to his forehead and teleported off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile, Goten and Trunks arrived at the Son house as Goten noticed the door was open. Walking inside, he saw his mother dead on the ground as he suddenly screamed.

"No! Why's mom dead? Who did it?" cried Goten as tears came to his eyes. Trunks walked to his best friend's side and comforted him.

"It seems we were too late to stop him," said a voice as Goten and Trunks looked up to see Shin and Kibito there. "Whoever killed your mother must have been the reason Goku's gone after him."

"Who are you and what do you know about my daddy?" said Goten as he seemed upset.

"Come with us and we'll explain everything," said Shin as Goten nodded sadly.

"Wait Goten," said Trunks. "Why should we trust him when he could be the enemy?"

"Well, he doesn't look evil," said Goten innocently.

"Not _everyone_ that Goku knows is nice and that's why your mom's dead right now," countered Trunks angrily.

"There's no need for you boys to be afraid of me though," said Shin. "I promise I won't hurt both of you. If I do, may the Gods punish me."

"Whoa," said Trunks. "Is that a promise?"

"There's no need to fear Shin," said Kibito. "He'll ensure your safety and reunite you to your father after the major part of the battle with Sin's over."

"Then I'm convinced," said Goten as he walked towards Shin as they stood there waiting for Trunks. "Well Trunks? Aren't you going to come?"

"Fine," pouted Trunks as he gave into Goten's best puppy dog face ever given. "Someone has to make sure you're safe with someone going around killing other people."

"Don't worry," said Shin. "If you boys want, you can train once we get to my planet."

"You _own_ a planet?" said Goten in awe.

'Great,' mused Kibito. 'More mortals will contaminate our sacred planet.'

"Yes," said Shin as he placed a hand on each of the boy's backs. "Now let's go!"

With a flicker, the four left the house as silence claimed the house once more.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hardly any life lives in the desert as the dry air blew sand in the air. The setting was disturbed when a figure suddenly appeared, via instant transmission and was thrown to the ground, as the other figure appeared moments later standing still as a statue. Gohan spat out the sand as Goku stood there with a stern look on his face.

"_This_ is what I had in mind," said Goku angrily.

"Whatever," said Gohan as he got up and dusted the sand off his clothes as some of it clung to the leather, skin, and hair. Powering up, the rest of the sand was blown off or disintegrated within his aura as Goku followed suit. 

Without a word, both warriors charged towards one another as they traded blows. Fist met fist. A roundhouse kick was deflected by Gohan's leg as he tried to return the similar blow to his father. Goku suddenly broke out of the close combat and narrowly dodged the kick as the pressure from the kick ripped through his shirt and grazed against his chest. Landing, the two stared each other down trying to find a weakness in each other's stance as Goku breathed heavily from the last attack his son planted. Gohan spotted a weakness and charged as Goku aimed his arms up to block the blow, but it didn't come. Instead, he found himself on the ground writhing in pain as Gohan held his tail in a painful grasp.

"Damn you..." hissed Goku as Gohan smirked.

"You should know better than to drop your guard," said Gohan as he broke the bone at the tip Goku's tail; earning a pain filled yell from the warrior. (A/N: O.o; Gokulover and Psy are going to kill me for this. I know they will...) "Tell you what. If you come back with me, then maybe Sin won't kill you _too_ badly."

"Fat chance in hell," hissed Goku as he used his tail to grab Gohan by his neck and ram his head against the back of his head painfully as the blow knocked out Gohan. 'I guess Vegeta was right about me being hard headed. It sure came in handy.'

With his tail now free, Goku gently motioned the portion of his broken tail in his hands as he charged energy into his hands and started to heal the damage. One of the advantages that Goku learn about during his time in Sin's hands, he managed to learn how to heal himself after his master gave him rather nasty beatings. Testing his tail, it moved smoothly again as Goku looked at his unconscious son on the ground.

'I hope that somehow, I'll be able to stop Sin and get you back to normal,' thought Goku as he started to walk off. Suddenly, he felt a cold energy behind him as he turned around and saw Sin behind him. Next to him stood Piccolo and Vegeta and they had a cold look in their eyes.

Piccolo was no longer wearing his regular fighting gear, but was wearing a crimson sleeveless fighting outfit with a black belt around his waist. He wore a rather nasty black choker with spikes embedded in it instead of his normal cloak. He also didn't wear the traditional turban and looked as though his desire to kill Goku returned ten-fold.

Vegeta's outfit was also different. Gone was the spandex outfit with white gloves and golden tipped white boots. He wore a navy blue jacket over a white t-shirt and blue jeans that seemed to restrict him. He gave the warrior a loathing look, as Goku seemed outmatched and overpowered easily by both warriors.

"What's wrong, Kakarotto?" said Sin in a delighted voice. "I thought you would like seeing your allies on the side you once were on."

"You corrupted them," said Goku bitterly.

"Only to carry out my word to the very edge of the cosmos," said Sin. "That my word is law and that I will make it so that my ways destroy everyone in both life and death!"

"What you're condemning is the lives of the innocent and ones who only desire peace," hissed Goku as his eyes flashed for a brief moment.

"I see that you've gotten an extent of your power back, but that won't stop you from trying to defy me," said Sin as he stepped back. "Piccolo, Vegeta, take care of the traitor. I want him brought down and sedated so that he can watch as I destroy those that he cares about."

"No!" cried Goku as his aura billowed out around him. Piccolo and Vegeta charged at the warrior as he was forced to dodge or block the blows. However, they were faster as Goku found himself pummeled to the ground. As his hair returned to the raven locks he was born with, he laid there breathing hard as Piccolo grabbed him by the front of his torn and bloodstained shirt.

"Just surrender," said Piccolo in a dark voice. "It's useless to fight him."

"N...never..." hissed Goku as Vegeta grabbed his hands and restrained the warrior. Before they could take him and throw him at Sin's feet, a kick hit Piccolo in the head as Goku was released. A short bald-headed and nose-less warrior landed as Goku looked up at him in bliss. "K-Krillin..."

"Hey, take it easy, Goku," said Krillin as he knelt down. Not far away, Tien, Chou-su, and Yamcha landed as they shielded the ex-monk and Earth-raised Saiya-jin.

"Destroy the intruders!" commanded Sin as Piccolo and Vegeta charged at the three warriors.

"Destroy us?" said Yamcha sarcastically. "I think we'll kick your sorry asses instead!"

"Don't underestimate them, Yamcha," said Tien as Piccolo lunged at the three-eyed warrior first. "Goku easily got beaten when they double-teamed him."

Vegeta nearly knocked Yamcha's head off with a kick, but he blocked the kick with a forearm as he aimed a punch at Vegeta's face. However, the warrior was kneed in the gut and Vegeta broke his neck with fatal blow.

"Yamcha!" cried Chou-su as Vegeta killed the former desert bandit mercilessly.

On the sidelines, Goku hissed as Krillin dug out a familiar bean. Giving the warrior the bean, he munched on it as he felt his energy flowing back. All the wounds were instantly healed up as he got back on to his feet.

"Thanks Krillin," said Goku as he transformed back into an ascended Super Saiya-jin. "Now let me take care of this before anyone else gets killed."

"Right," said Krillin as Goku flies off to battle again.

At that moment, a devastating blow hit Tien by Piccolo as Chou-su cried out in pain. The three-eyed warrior fell to the ground dead while Chou-su landed on the ground upset over the loss off his friend. Before Piccolo could kill the child-like clown, Goku knocked Piccolo out from behind bitterly as he knelt down at Tien's body.

"Tien, I'm sorry I couldn't save you," said Goku. "I vow I'll get revenge for you and Yamcha." Getting up, he saw Vegeta and Sin both standing there waiting as he got angry at both of them.

"That vow will be broken as well as your soul," said Sin as Goku suddenly found himself on the ground again. He was suffering from the flashbacks that hit his mind from the torture he dealt with for the last seven years in hell. He was knocked out from behind as Vegeta brought the warrior to Sin's feet.

"Excellent," said Sin. "Now it's time to go after the Guardian of Earth." Gohan regained consciousness. "Gohan, kill the rest of these weaklings and meet me on the Lookout within the next 20 minutes."

"Very well," said Gohan as he turned towards the childhood allies he once fought aside.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On Shin's planet, Goten and Trunks were sparring fiercely against one another in order to improve in case they were needed to fight against Sin himself if Goku failed. Both boys were in their Super Saiya-jin forms as they both fought with all they had. Eventually though, Goten's stomach started to growl as he landed and laughed.

"What's so funny?" said Trunks.

"My stomach's talking to me!" said Goten happily. "It's been awhile since we ate, hasn't it Trunks?" As on cue, Trunks' stomach started to protest.

"You jinxed my stomach!" said Trunks.

"Did not," said Goten.

"Did too!" said Trunks as an argument started.

"I did not!" yelled Goten as Trunks lunged at the younger warrior and they went rolling down the grassy hill. Trunks pinned Goten to the ground as the younger warrior squirmed under the older warrior's grasp.

"Admit it!" boasted Trunks. "You jinxed my stomach!"

"Enough bickering," said Shin as he appeared with a tray full of food. "Just eat and then start training again."

"Um... Mr. Shin sir?" said Goten.

"What now, Goten?" said Shin.

"Mommy says I can't take food from strangers," said Goten as Shin face vaults. Trunks slapped his forehead rather bitterly.

"Well Shin's not really a stranger now is he?" said Trunks.

"Not really," said Goten. "It's just that mommy would be angry if she found out I took food from a stranger."

"Don't worry, Goten," said Shin. "Your mommy will understand if she knew you were hanging out with a God eating lunch with him."

"You're a God?" said Goten curiously as he grabbed a sandwich from the tray.

"You don't look the part," said Trunks. "I thought Gods perform miracles."

"I'm just a higher God," said Shin, which wasn't an exact lie. "Besides, I can only do so much with the powers I have."

"Yeah right," said Trunks. "If you're a God, then pull a rabbit out of a hat or something like that."

"Trunks, you shouldn't ask a God to do these things to prove himself," said Kibito. "Have you no manners?"

"Well, I'm just wondering if he's a God or not!" snapped Trunks.

"Look, just eat okay?" said Shin as he tried to get Trunks off his back. "I need to see what the situation is on Earth right now."

"Fine," said Trunks in a defeated voice as he saw Goten already eating. "Hey! Save some of the food for me!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Goku woke as he found himself in chains and the sky was dark as night. He felt a magical presence as he glanced upward and saw Sin standing there as Shenlong hovered above the psychopath. The Saiya-jin wanted to scream, but his mouth was gagged as he watched helplessly as the dragon granted Sin's first wish. Before his eyes, a spaceship almost bigger than the lookout appeared.

****

"What is your next wish?" boomed Shenlong.

"I want you to teleport my lab upon my spaceship so that I can use my technology to enslave others," said Sin.

****

"Your wish will be granted," said Shenlong as his eyes glowed brighter. Goku was horrified. Why did Sin want to enslave more people? He growled bitterly as the dragon departed, scattering the seven magical orbs that have turned into stone across the very reaches of the planet.

"Now that I got my ship, take the Guardian and the traitor on to the ship," commanded Sin as Goku felt himself lifted up on Vegeta and Gohan's shoulders as they roughly carried him onto the awaiting spaceship. Thrown to the ground roughly, his head hit the metallic hull and he got knocked out on impact.

*******

Darkness surrounded Goku as he felt himself drifting in a void-like place again. Slowly though, he felt something beneath his back as trees appeared as well as grass. He found himself near a forest right on the edge of the entrance. He wasn't sure how he got there or how it was possible that he was free at the moment as he slowly got up and looked around. Stars sparkled in the sky as he saw a full moon. Expecting to transform into his Oozaru form at any given moment, it didn't happen strangely enough as he felt rejuvenated from its effects instead.

__

"Goku..."

The wind started to blow gently, ruffling his midnight black hair and the familiar orange fighting gear with a navy blue undershirt. As he heard the call, he felt a part of him wanting to follow the voice and another denying it. Choosing the latter, he stood where he was at, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach grew stronger.

__

"Don't resist. If you do, then your life is at forfeit..."

Was the voice right though? His life was already screwed since he's in Sin's hands again as the visions of the past haunted him. He saw when he was beaten to the point where he was sure he would die, but awaken hours later feeling his wounds slowly healing and sick. There were even times when he was violated in unspeakable ways as the monster broke his fighting spirit as well as make him nearly lose the will to live. In the past few days of freedom from the hypocrite though, he had learned of the past that he once knew and learned that Sin corrupted him in so many ways that it made the Earth-raised Saiya-jin sick to his stomach.

Slowly, he begins to walk towards the outcrop of trees and notices a worn path before him as he follows it into the woods. It was dark as the branches and limbs of the trees filtered the moonlight above him. Though it felt uncomfortable at first, he slowly grew comfortable when he saw a golden light ahead of him as he saw the shadows dance. Drawing closer to the end of the path, he found himself in a clearing where he saw a roaring bonfire and a figure sitting on the opposite side smoking a pipe. White smoke twirled over his head as he motioned Goku to sit beside him at the fire. Acknowledging his presence, he sat down next to the figure as he felt a stirring somewhere within his soul.

__

"Do you feel it?"

"Feel what?" questioned Goku.

__

"Like there's something missing within you."

"I guess," said Goku as though the figure was reading his mind as the horrible thoughts of him doing that would make Sin look like an amateur.

__

"I am nothing like that bastard that enslaved you."

"How..." paled Goku as the figure gave Goku his pipe.

__

"Smoke first and then I will answer your question."

"I can't..." started Goku as he felt if he didn't, he would be denied the answers he's searching for. Bringing the tip to his lips, he drew the substance within the pipe into his lungs as he felt his body tingle from an unspeakable sensation. Breathing out the smoke, he saw that it was a deep gray color as he felt his mind grow a bit clearer. He wanted to hand the pipe back, but the figure didn't take it.

__

"Continue..."

"Why..." started Goku as the figure gently guided the pipe back to his open mouth again as Goku gave in and breathed in the substance again. Removing his hand, the figure watched as Goku drew the stimulate into his body. As he breathed out, he saw the smoke got lighter, but was still gray as the storm clouds. Goku already knew that the figure would ask him to do it again as he continued to smoke from the pipe as the figure seemed to encourage him.

__

"That's it..."

Goku was feeling something as he smoked. Something that was filling the gaps within himself as he drew the substance into himself and felt himself slowly relaxing. His mind was soon at the point where he seemed less troubled and his body felt so relaxed as he dropped the pipe from his hands onto the ground. He didn't care though as the figure noticed how sated he was.

"Is that enough?" said Goku in a very soft voice as his eyes seemed weary.

__

"Yes. That will do."

"What was in that pipe?" said Goku.

__

"Something that relaxes the body and mind so that the soul can be replenished."

"Replenished?" said Goku. "What are you talking about?"

__

"At this moment, you are missing a part of yourself. The part that is Saiya-jin..."

"Where is it?" said Goku.

__

"It's right here..."

Without a word, the figure removed his hood as Goku gasped in surprise.

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Wee! Another chapter's done! I hope that you all enjoyed this one! It's about to get even more exciting next chapter as the story is getting closer to completion. Anyway, on to reviews:

DBZ Chick1: Hopefully, this chapter is worth the wait. Sorry if it's a bit late.

Luna's Meow: Satisfied yet? If not, then come on back for more!

Gokulover4ever: Another Chi-chi hater, huh? Well, I'm glad I satisfied your wishes of letting her die. Hm... don't like Gohan? Well there's a possibility he **might** die... *gives her a cookie* But I don't want you spoiling the story, so if you're good, maybe I'll give you the whole jar... *smiles innocently*

Arcanine18: Sorry to keep you waiting. Hopefully, this kept you hungry for more.

Gokugirl9: He'll be fine. Well, maybe not in this chapter, but he will be soon. ^^;

Anyone else reading: I encourage you to review. Come on. *coaxes other to review* I won't bite. If you are nervous, I'll give you a little preview to sate your wandering minds:

__

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" yelled Goku as he got up angrily with his tail lashing behind him.

"Finally awake, I see," said Sin. "I was just admiring your planet a few minutes ago. Too bad it has to be destroyed just to see you suffer."

"Leave Dende out of this!" yelled Goku.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," said Sin. "You have all ready told me to leave Earth out of the deal."

"You bastard," hissed Goku as Sin seemed to be enjoying the look on the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's face. His aura seemed to fluctuate as Goku growled.

"Tell you what," said Sin as he turned on a monitor as Earth came into view. "You can choose which one you want more: the Earth or its guardian."

My, my, my. This sounds like picking which pill to take, doesn't? I hope that you all are not angry at my tardiness for this chapter. Hopefully, the next one will come out much faster.


	10. Inequitable Eradication

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Bound

Chapter 9

I won't say it this time. You all know that I don't own Dragon Ball Z. Darn. I just said it. Oh well! I hope that you're in the mood to find out what happens next!

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The wind ruffled around Goku as he stared in shock. Out of the torture he suffered during his abduction, he never expected to face his family or friends again on Earth and find out that his life wasn't the life he was forced to live under Sin. The man that stood before him was a representation of his forgotten race as he yearned for the answers he was looking for during the past few nights now.

However, nothing could prepare him for what stood in front of him as he felt torn apart again seeing an exact copy of himself standing in the robes in front of him.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" yelled Goku as he got up angrily with his tail lashing behind him.

__

"I thought this was the answers you were looking for," the doppelganger stood up in a less threatening manner as Goku looked rather pissed off.

"Why are you still talking like that?" said Goku.

__

"You may have forgotten your ancestry, but even you should be able to remember our native language," said the doppelganger.

"Who are you?" hissed Goku.

__

"I am Kakarotto," said the doppelganger. _"I am the true reason you are still alive and the reason that you are not completely whole in mind, body, and soul."_

"I have no idea why you're here then, but leave me alone!" hissed Goku.

__

"You cannot hide the fact that you aren't whole though," said Kakarotto as Goku admitted that he was indeed right. _"You need me to be whole and you cannot exist without me. So stop running away."_

"I'm not running away," growled Goku as he felt a sting in his heart again.

__

"You are lying to yourself again," said Kakarotto as he drew closer to Goku. _"A part of you yearns for the answers, but the answers are within me."_

"If you are so sure, then show me," commanded Goku as Kakarotto gently guided his tail and twined around his. "What..."

__

"You want the answers, didn't you?" said Kakarotto as he pressed his forehead against Goku's. Kakarotto's tail began to rub against Goku's as he felt a reflection of that sensation from his counterpart. Before he could question him, he was assaulted by memories that were once a part of him as he saw other Saiya-jins before getting sent out into space. He saw his grandfather and saw how he acted, thought, and was around him as everything Master Roshi said about him in front of Radditz years ago was a complete lie.

'He abused us because he thought we acted so different,' thought Goku as Kakarotto seemed to mirror his thoughts.

__

"Do you see now why you aren't human?" said Kakarotto as Goku felt guilty.

"Yes, but if we merge, what will happen to us?" said Goku.

__

"You will become whole," said Kakarotto as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin looked into his eyes. He saw no lies in them as he closed his eyes.

"Then please, make me complete..." said Goku as he knelt down on the ground before Kakarotto. Goku felt Kakarotto press him down onto his stomach, completely outstretched as Kakarotto pressed his hands gently upon Goku's back. Mumbling a chant, he faded as Goku's soul felt a surge. Unable to hold back from the surge, Goku screamed as instincts and memories jumbled within his mind and his tail lashed around. Eventually, he felt the surge of energy subside as he rolled over on his back, panting hard as sweat ran down his face. His tail was no longer lashing like it was moments earlier as Goku closed his eyes. 'I am whole...'

*******

As Goku started to come to, he saw Sin and Vegeta as he felt angry. Jerking against the chains, he found himself bound to the wall unable to break free.

"Finally awake, I see," said Sin. "I was just admiring your planet a few minutes ago. Too bad it has to be destroyed just to see you suffer."

"Zoi sa, Sin," hissed Goku in Saiya-go as Sin heard the foreign language roll of the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's tongue like he knew the language all of his life. "Kamih Zennia kane tute vorta!"

"Vegeta, can you translate what Kakarotto is saying?" said Sin.

"Certainly," said Vegeta completely emotionless. "He cursed your name and wants you to leave Earth out of this."

"Vegeta, sa cortaus," said Goku angrily as he strained against the chains that bound him from attacking. "Mai sa futa daza pannisa ta Zennia?"

"O moi-in hieteti futa," said Vegeta. "Sin séme mai doza côt zabuca."

"O hõt sa!" yelled Goku. "Utï mai sa botora côtra radia?"

"Samit sa, O borta côtra raida gairut côtra dora et fora," said Vegeta.

"Are you two done talking in that outdated language yet?" said Sin.

"Zortint sa!" yelled Goku as Vegeta slapped Goku in the face for the insult the Earth-raised Saiya-jin gave. He remained motionless as Vegeta growled softly.

"What did he say?" said Sin.

"He said 'fuck you,'" said Vegeta.

"Beat him while I tend to other things," said Sin as he left the room.

"Zortint sa, sa lamata," cursed Goku under his breath as Vegeta grabbed him by his neck and drew his attention back to his face.

"You aren't the one in the chains," said Vegeta.

"So what?" said Goku breaking out of Saiya-go briefly. "Sa mortu nati quitatan iot aiya-jin forta. Teni u Saiya-jin et bioturus ut poreta..."

"Côt míné goriotora..." said Vegeta as he grew pale.

Goku smirked as he yelled bitterly as his muscles bulged and the chains snapped off his wrists.

*** Goku's POV ***

I woke up as I saw Sin and Vegeta both there talking. I wanted no more than to get out of these chains that bind me to the walls and keep me from beating the shit out of both of them.

"Finally awake, I see," said Sin's voice as I hold my tongue. "I was just admiring your planet a few minutes ago. Too bad it has to be destroyed just to see you suffer." That remark hit me hard as I began to talk, but not in the universal language.

__

"Damn you, Sin," I hiss angrily in my native language. I don't know why I'm talking in it, but it seems strangely right at this time. _"Leave Earth out of this!"_

"Vegeta, can you translate what Kakarotto is saying?" said Sin.

"Certainly," said Vegeta completely emotionless. "He cursed your name and wants you to leave Earth out of this."

__

"Vegeta, you traitor," I say angrily as I try to break free from the chains that bind me from knocking Vegeta straight into the wall. _"Do you care what happens to Earth?"_

__

"I don't really care," Vegeta tells me as I feel a sting in my heart. At that moment, I wanted to beat him into the ground until he's dead, but a part of me remains sane enough to try and break the control on Vegeta as he continues, _"Sin can do what he desires."_

__

"I hate you!" I yell as I get my point across easily. For once, I lost my respect in the Saiya-jin Prince. He was more arrogant than usual and I didn't care if he begged for mercy the moment I freed myself from the chains. _"Why do you follow his orders?"_

__

"Unlike you," started Vegeta, _"I follow his orders because his word is law."_

"Are you two done talking in that outdated language yet?" Sin speaks as I decide to go against my master by cursing him in our language how much I hated him.

__

"Fuck you!" I yell as Vegeta slaps me in the face. It was worth the beating though as I laugh within my mind as I remain totally motionless.

"What did he say?" said Sin.

"He said 'fuck you,'" said Vegeta.

"Beat him while I tend to other things," said Sin as he leaves. Good! Now's my chance to escape!

__

"Fuck you, you bastard," I say softly as Vegeta hears what I say and brings my head back to where I could see him.

"You aren't the one in the chains," said Vegeta.

"So what?" I say as I broke out of Saiya-go briefly before continuing, _"You must have forgotten the Saiya-jin law. What a Saiya-jin is defeated in battle..."_ Vegeta suddenly pales as I mentally laugh at the priceless look on his face. I wanted my freedom, so I guess this is the perfect time to do so.

__

"...he gets stronger," finished Vegeta as I smirk and finally start powering up. The chains easily broke off my wrists as I slam his head into the wall.

__

"Take me to Sin right now or I'll kill you where you stand," I hiss.

*** 3rd Person POV ***

Sin looked in his lab for the Universal Translator he created long ago when he enslaved a Saiya-jin similar to Goku. Finding the small device the size of a watch battery, he put it in his ear as the door exploded open. Smoke filled the room as Vegeta flies right through it and goes crashing into a lab table, knocking off vials and tubes as it all goes crashing to the floor. As the smoke slowly settled, Sin stared in horror as Goku stood in the doorway in his ascended Super Saiya-jin form, his tail lashing behind him seductively.

__

"Sin, you will pay for kidnapping my son along with Vegeta and Piccolo," hissed Goku as a stray lightening bolt from his aura hit the floor in front of Sin's feet, leaving a scorch mark.

__

"I'm not afraid of you," said Sin as Goku heard him perfectly in Saiya-go.

__

"What type of trickery is this?" said Goku. _"A few minutes ago, you didn't understand a word that I said!"_

__

"Thanks to the technology I possess, I can understand you perfectly," said Sin. _"Since you are willing to risk your life to save your friends, let me show you something that will make you reconsider your options."_

__

"What in the fuck are you talking about?" said Goku as Sin went to a tube that was covered up. Removing the veil, Goku stared in horror as he saw... "Dende!"

"Ah, a friend of yours, huh?" said Sin. "He came willingly and he will soon create a dragon that will destroy cities."

"Leave Dende out of this!" yelled Goku.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that," said Sin. "You have all ready told me to leave Earth out of the deal."

"You bastard," hissed Goku as Sin seemed to be enjoying the look on the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's face. His aura seemed to fluctuate as Goku growled.

"Tell you what," said Sin as he turned on a monitor as Earth came into view. "You can choose which one you want more: the Earth or its guardian."

"What?" said Goku as he grew angrier as his hair started to sway in the aura.

"I don't really care much about the planet," said Sin, "so I'll do you a favor and destroy it..."

"No!" cried Goku as Sin pressed a button on the control panel.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Outside on the ship, a powerful gun that resembles a metallic flower opens as a ball of energy was on it. The gun was locked on to the blue orb orbiting the sun known as Earth as the gun was fired straight into the planet. On the planet, tsunamis hit the land as the planet started to break apart. People were screaming as earthquakes shook the foundation. Before the planet exploded, Goku felt the panic of Earth's people and heard the prayers to Kami as they went unanswered. In a blinding explosion, Earth was no more as debris were scattered into space.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In the Other World, Shin felt and heard the pleas as he shuttered and fell to the ground. Trunks and Goten saw the dynasty on the ground and stopped training as they walked over to him confused.

"What is it?" said Goten.

"Earth..." said Shin as Goten and Trunks gasped.

"Yeah, what about it," said Trunks.

"It's been destroyed," said Shin as Kibito looked at the boys as they transformed into Super Saiya-jins.

"No!" cried Goten as tears came to his eyes.

"Damn that fucking bastard!" yelled Trunks. "We need to stop him!"

"We can't," said Kibito. "He's too powerful now that he's corrupted Vegeta, Gohan, and Piccolo.

"My dad's in that monster's hands?" yelled Trunks as his aura sent a shockwave that knocked Kibito off his feet. "NO!"

"GOHAN!" cried Goten as another shockwave shook the planet as the two dynasties watched the boys ascend before they both passed out.

"What power!" said Shin.

"If Sin is not defeated, then these two will have to take the other warrior's place," said Kibito cryptically as Shin summoned a crystal ball.

"Let's hope that he wins," said Shin as they waited.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sin was laughing evilly as Goku hissed angrily as his tail lashed violently behind him. His eyes were completely blank and red as his body shuttered. The aura that was fluctuating was now roaring as a pure adulterating scream emitted from the Saiya-jin's throat. His hair wavered in the aura as it began to spill down his back as his back was completely arced backwards. The spaceship shook as Sin fell violently to the floor. The hood flew off his head for the first time as his shoulder-length blue hair went flying behind him. His face was completely pale due to the lack of sunlight as his eyes were similar to Freeza's: cold, uncaring, and greedy. His eyes shifted from all those things into a look of pure horror as he gazed upwards and was petrified at the sight.

"Why..." hissed Goku as his eyes looked strained under the hairless brows. "Why did you provoke me?"

"What power is this?" said Sin scared shitless as the former happy-go-lucky Saiya-jin seemed to be no longer the same Earth-raised Saiya-jin he was minutes ago. Instead, he looked like he was possessed by the devil himself. His tail was a deep crimson color instead of the light brown color that it would normally have as the golden hair was a deeper color than it normally would be as it cascaded to his waist; hovering inches from the base of his tail.

"The power that you provoked from deep within my soul," growled Goku as his voice sounded rather menacing. "The power that will be your undoing."

________________________________________________________________________

Another chapter's done! Yeah, it's a little shorter, but it's building up to the end of the story. Now onto reviews:

DBZ Chick1: I'm glad you have been very patient. More will be coming soon! Trust me.

GokuGirl9: Thanks! Maybe your wish will come true. *evil grin*

Luna's Meow: Thanks!

And to those out there who are just passing through: I thank you for at least reading. Now on to the preview to the next chapter!

__

"Are you afraid?" said Goku in a mocking voice as he took another step forward towards his former captor. "You should be..."

"I'm not afraid of you!" hissed Sin as he growled and took another step back and bumped into the control panel. "I can easily destroy you at any given time."

"Prove it then, or are you a coward?" said Goku icily.

Gohan, whatever Sin did to you has made you angry at me. You need to break the spell that he put upon you, mind, body, and soul. I know you can do this!

__

Just leave me alone! roared Gohan as he hissed in pain. _I already told you that I don't care about you anymore!_

****

"Goku, you can do it..."

__

thump... ..._thump_...

**__**

"Come on..."

__

thump... ...thump... ...thump...

**__**

"You can't let Sin win!"

Will Sin be defeated? Or will Goku perish along with the entire universe? Find out next time!


	11. Waged Combat in the Heavens

****

Bound

Chapter 10

Straight to the point, this time: I don't own them. Now read on!

________________________________________________________________________

Gohan was asleep and unaware of the battle that was about to take place. As he slept, he felt a familiar, yet foreign power as he came to with sweat coming down his brow. Though he was far from the control room, he still felt something wrong as he got out of bed.

'What's going on?' thought Gohan as he walked quietly there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The flaxen aura surrounded the naturally calm Earth-raised Saiya-jin as instincts to kill Sin spoke heavily through his mind. For once, he didn't mind answering them as he took a step forward as the one who corrupted him took a step back.

"Are you afraid?" said Goku in a mocking voice as he took another step forward towards his former captor. "You should be..."

"I'm not afraid of you!" hissed Sin as he growled and took another step back and bumped into the control panel. "I can easily destroy you at any given time."

"Prove it then, or are you a coward?" said Goku icily. He wasn't acting like himself on the battlefield and his cockiness was similar to Vegeta's. 

If anything, that would be his downfall as Sin felt the control panel with his right hand as it landed on a familiar button. Sin smirked as his hand hit a button and wires came snaking around Goku's body as he felt electricity pour into his body and knock him out. As his body hit the ground with a deafening thud, Sin smirked as he picked up the unconscious warrior's body. Gohan, who saw his father fall to the ground before his eyes, stared in shock as Sin took him away. He felt a part of himself screaming to save his father, but another to let the bastard do as he may. The latter though felt wrong as Gohan felt a talon on his shoulder and looked to see...

"Piccolo..." whispered Gohan as he saw his mentor standing behind him as he lead Gohan away from the room where his father was at.

"Gohan, I know what you're thinking and I don't want you to lose your father again," said Piccolo in a stern voice.

"But Piccolo, he... he abandoned me..." said Gohan.

"He did it to save Earth though," said Piccolo as it turned out that he wasn't brainwashed by the corrupted and insane villain. "Vegeta and I were only acting just so we can stop Sin. We need you as well, Gohan..."

Piccolo's hand ran through Gohan's hair as he pushed his first friend away from him. He ran back to his room where he was alone and punched the wall.

"Why should I?" said Gohan before his mind was assaulted with flashbacks. "I... I... daddy..." His body shook. "DADDY!"

*******

Goku floated in the void of his mind as he felt his son's pain. For a fleeting moment, he thought that he had seen Kakarotto standing there. Yet, he still felt alone as he felt despair and abandonment.

__

"You're not alone..."

****

"Yet it feels like it..."

__

"Are you just going to let Sin win this battle or are you going to break out of this?"

****

"I... I feel like I've let everyone down though..."

__

"You were only doing what you thought was right at the time. Don't let what Sin do to you harm anyone else! If you care, you would wake up and fight back!"

****

"I can't though. I feel something keeping me in this state."

__

"Damn that bastard... trying to keep us sedated like this... We need to contact someone to help us..."

****

"But how?"

__

"Call out to Gohan. Tell him..."

Goku felt the voice fade from his mind. With as much effort as he could, he focused through the weakened and strained bond that wasn't used for years to call out to the son; the son he used to know with his heart, mind, body, and soul.

*******

__

Gohan, Gohan, speak to me!

The hybrid sat up from his bed as he heard his father's voice. He was still upset and didn't want to get involved with saving his own father's life. Bitterly, he responded to his father's desperate call, despite how it phased the warrior's emotions.

__

Why should I talk to you after what you did? snapped Gohan angrily. _You abandoned me and I thought that you were dead! I hate you!_

__

Gohan, whatever Sin did to you has made you angry and hate me. You need to break the spell that he put upon you, mind, body, and soul. I know you can do this!

__

Just leave me alone! roared Gohan as he hissed in pain. _I already told you that I don't care about you anymore!_

__

That's not true. You care about your mom and brother, so you care about me too. Now stop sulking and help Vegeta and Piccolo...

The words struck some cords in Gohan as he winced. He did care. No matter how many times he denied or said that he didn't love his father, he did love him and nothing could change it. Tears brimmed his eyes as he wiped them away as his father's presence left him.

"Fine," said Gohan out loud and he left his room. He walked down the empty and gloomy hallways in order to find Piccolo and Vegeta. Once he found his allies, he would save the only person that he thought was slain by Cell's hands, but turned out to be used in a plot to end all humanity.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What made you change your mind, brat?" said Vegeta as he tears off the vest.

"I had some _convincing_ from my father," snorted Gohan.

"Whatever, I'm just interested in saving Kakarot and killing him myself at my own leisure," said Vegeta.

The three warriors walked into Sin's lab as they saw Goku floating in a tank completely nude. The three warriors saw that he had wires running all over his skin again and his tail completely bound by a metallic claw. The Saiya-jin paralyzed physically by the grip as Gohan and Vegeta winced. Gohan snorted in anger at the state his father was in; but before the trio could attempt to rescue the fallen warrior, the doors hiss open as Sin walked into the room.

"I see you three have arrived just in time to watch the execution," said Sin.

"Let my father go, you bastard!" yelled Gohan.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Sin. "Soon, my pet, Apocalypse will feed upon his nutrients and be fully activated."

"You sick bastard!" hissed Vegeta as he aimed a blast at Sin.

"Go ahead," said Sin as he tossed his hands in the air. "Kill me, but that won't save your ally."

"Let Son go," said Piccolo.

"Kakarotto's too weak to survive the minute he's freed from the tank, so I'm saving you the trouble of him dying," said Sin as a rumble is heard. "Apocalypse shall now feast on his body and absorb him..."

The walls came to life as a completely void silver creature emerged from the wall and stepped into the tank that Goku was in. It opened its mouth as tentacles wrapped around Goku's body.

"Son!" yelled Piccolo.

"Kakarot!" yelled Vegeta.

"Father!" yelled Gohan as the three warriors answered as one.

****

"BREAK FREE!"

*******

Goku felt something wrong as his body started to lose the battle. His heartbeat slowed as he felt himself slipping...

****

THUMP... THUMP... thump..._thump_... silence reigned for a moment as nothingness almost seemed to swallow him... but then, he heard a cry:

****

"BREAK FREE!"

__

thump...

__

"Goku, you can do it..."

__

thump... ..._thump_...

__

"Come on..."

__

thump... ...thump... ...thump...

__

"You can't let Sin win!"

The darkness receded as Goku saw Kakarotto holding him in his arms completely transparent. As his heartbeat started again, Kakarotto was giving him the strength to defy death itself.

__

"If you die, then Sin will hurt everyone! Including your own son!"

Goku began to respond as his body began to glow in a transparent light. Anger filled his body as the thoughts of Sin tormenting others, including his allies and his own son. As the blood circulated through his almost completely dead body, he felt himself starting to awaken...

*******

Eyes snapped open underwater as Goku felt his body bound by wires as well as something slimy as he saw the mouth about devour his head. Hissing underwater, his power instantly rose as his muscles bulged. The creature's body was hit by Goku's aura as the glass shattered; sending the shards of fragments and water raining down on the warriors as well as Sin. Wires were torn off the Earth-raise Saiya-jin's body as he stared down at them with his tail lashing and free from the binds. He stood nude in his ascended past the ascended Super Saiya-jin form in all of his glory as he sneered down at the dictator below. The creature, known as Apocalypse, laid there by Goku's feet, barely alive and had glass shards and wire cords embedded in its skin.

"I-impossible!" hissed Sin as Goku floated up and charged out of the broken remains of the tank and punched Sin into the tank where Dende was imprisoned.

Goku hissed angrily as his eyes were again completely red. The fight against Sin was taking its toll on Goku's body as he was breathing heavily after almost dying and getting devoured by the creature Sin called Apocalypse. As Sin fell to the floor, the tank that Dende was in exploded.

"No! Dende!" cried Gohan as he watched in horror as the young Guardian of Earth was destroyed before their very eyes. Goku hissed as he looked away in vain.

'I'm sorry, Dende...' thought Goku as Sin got up angry at the one who he tried to use to destroy Earth.

"You fools! You ruined everything!" hissed Sin as he floats up to where Apocalypse's body was at. "I shall destroy you with the combined power of Apocalypse!"

Sin touched the creature as its body began to wrap itself around Sin's arm. Goku wanted to attack him; yet, he was curious to know what would happen next as the creature engulfed Sin's body. Apocalypse took on Sin's body structure as it stood there. His body was now completely silver as his clothes were gray instead of black. His hair dissolved as he looked really freaky after the transformation as he stood there looking more aggressive and evil.

"You freak!" yelled Goku.

"Look in a mirror," said the creature. "I have evolved and become ultimate! I am Sin, Destroyer of Worlds!"

Goku slid into a battle stance, but before he could fight, Piccolo stopped the warrior.

"Son, I want you to know that you won't last a minute fighting looking like that," said Piccolo as he looked at the still nude Goku's battle stance.

"What do you mean?" said Goku sliding out of his battle stance. Piccolo blushed a deep scarlet color before zapping Goku's body in a white light. "Huh?"

Before Goku's very eyes, clothes manifested themselves onto his body. In moments, he was adorned in the old orange and blue fighting gear he wore before his abduction by Sin. The familiar light-weighted boots were on his feet as he felt more comfortable fighting. It was a very needed improvement of having his feet touch the cold metallic ground as he noticed how numb his feet were. Though he was wearing his old fighting gear, it felt a bit odd for him to be wearing the colors he had not worn in a long time. Yet, he didn't show that concern as he flashed the old Son grin as a thank to his former nemesis. Piccolo smirked as Goku slid into his battle stance again as Sin lunged at Goku.

Goku blocked the blow in the nick of time as the two traded blows against one another as they threw a melee of attacks to try to break each other's guard. Though Goku was originally winded, his fighting strength increased gradually. Sin, on the other hand, was pushed further into the corner. It seemed like the Earth-raised Saiya-jin had the upper hand during the first round after his near-death experience pushed him beyond his normal limits.

As the fight wore on, Sin was flabbergasted when Goku came out of nowhere with the unbridled power he possessed as he struggled to keep up. Soon, he found that despite Goku's strength and speed, his stamina was lower than normal due to the drugs that were put in his system. Soon, Sin managed to regain the upper hand as he grabbed Goku ruthlessly by the long locks of his hair.

"Gah!" cried Goku as he's thrown into a wall as the metal walls melted and wires began to spill out of the walls.

"Dad!" cried Gohan as his hair returned to the midnight locks he was born with.

"So, where's your fighting spirit now?" said Sin as the wires began to wrap around Goku's wrists as Sin approached the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was at. No one could move as Sin grabbed Goku by the torn fighting shirt, but Goku's tail grabbed one of the flailing wires from the wall as Sin pulled the warrior closer to him. "It's time for your death!"

"No!" hissed Goku as his tail stabbed Sin with the wire as he was shocked by the electricity from it as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin fell out of his grasp onto the floor as Sin cried out in pain. Goku felt the wires release him as he blasted Sin with the power he had left within his body as the monster was sent back to Hell where he came from.

"You did it, Son!" said Piccolo. Goku smiled as he winced in pain a little bit, but still gave his allies a thumbs up as they laughed.

"Question is though, how are we going to revive Earth and all her people?" said Gohan as he looked at where the heavenly body once orbited the star. All that was left was the debris of a dead planet that had once floated within the system known as Sol.

"We could go to Namek and bring them back," said Goku.

Suddenly, the alarms on the spaceship went off as the four warriors nearly fell over.

"WARNING! THE SPACESHIP WILL SELF-DESTRUCT IN 30 SECONDS!" said a computer voice as Goku willed himself to remain standing.

"Do you still know where it is?" said Piccolo in a panic as the red lights flared.

"Of course I do!" said Goku as the survivors of a dead world grabbed Goku by his shoulders. Goku concentrated as he focused on the Planet Namek. "Hang on."

With a flicker, the four warriors disappeared. Seconds later, the spaceship that the warriors fought on exploded in a blinding light. The debris of metal and other inanimate objects went flying into the empty void of space.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The grass swayed as Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Gohan appear out of thin air. As Goku took a single step, they were surrounded by warrior Namekians as they held sword-like weapons towards the four surviving warriors. Moori approached the quartet of warriors with a scowl on his face. Goku felt bitterness from the Namek he saved long ago on a planet that was endangered by the wrath of Freeza as he seemed to hold a grudge against the Earth-raised Saiya-jin.

"What's going on?" said Goku.

"You are no longer welcome here," said Moori. "It's because of you that Dende's dead."

"How do you..." started Goku before he was knocked out.

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CMG: I'd hate to say it, but there will be more to this story than I thought. Including with an evil twist I came up with coming up in the next chapter! So on to reviews:

DBZ Chick1: I could kill Gohan off, but that would just be plain cruel, now wouldn't? Of course, someone is bound to die. I won't say who because that would make someone rather upset... *gets hit in the head by a book*

Psy: *cringes as she hides behind Goku* Don't blast me! I reviewed your stuff! *starts worshipping her writing as Goku rolls his eyes*

Gokugirl9: Well Goku's not dead and Sin's been defeated. Happy now?

Luna's Meow: Hopefully, the fight was well worth the wait. However, there is another battle on the horizon.

As promised, here's a sneak peek of the next chapter that will leave all of you hungry for more:

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"Let Son go, Moori," said Piccolo. "He means no harm to any of you."

"Are you sure?" questioned Moori as Goku grew tense.

"Can't I prove that I won't hurt anyone or are you the one who's tainted?" sneered Goku angrily as his eyes flashed teal.

On Kami's Lookout, Dende appears as Mr. Popo cries out in relief for the Guardian of Earth re-appearing out of thin air. Dende, on the other hand, seemed different and more quiet as he did not share in Mr. Popo's bliss. If Goku were there, he would have stopped Dende for what happened next: he killed Mr. Popo without any mercy.

"What?" cried Vegeta. "Then does that mean we'll have to fight against whatever the hell Dende's creating?"

"Is this true, dad?" said Gohan as Goku clenched his fists.

"I believe so, but I'm too weakened from the last round of fighting," said Goku. "I need to rest until we can go after Dende or else we'll fall."

"He's our daddy?" said Goten as Goku noticed the sad look on the young hybrid's face before he got angry. "Gohan! I thought you said our father abandoned us! Why is he here now? Why?"

"Goten... I...." started Gohan before he found himself on the ground in pain as Goten was about to strike his own brother down. Before the final bow could be delivered, Goku intercepted the blow, much to Gohan's surprise.

"Listen, I didn't abandon you, Goten," hissed Goku as he tried to hold his ascended state as he held back Goten's fist from hitting the elder warrior. "I was kidnapped and brainwashed to destroy Earth..." Before anyone could act, Goku suddenly passed out from the strain of ascending; his flaxen hair reverted back to the atramentous locks that the warrior had naturally.

Well, hopefully you'll come back next time to find out what will happen next. Please leave your reviews on your way out. See ya! ^^


	12. Resurgence of Odium and Ungodly Justice

****

Bound

Chapter 11

Let's just get to the reason we're here. (I don't own them.)

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Goku woke up with a splitting headache as he found himself bound inside a Namekian's hut. Struggling against them, he tried to break free, but the rope was strong as it held him rather tightly. It was either some Namekian trick or his body still has the poison running through his veins. Footsteps were heard as he looked up and saw a warrior similar to Piccolo staring down at him.

"Moori wishes to see you, Saiya-jin," said the Namek as he grabbed Goku roughly and dragged him out of the hut to the center of the village where Moori stood. Goku was thrown roughly at Moori's feet. Grunting, he held back a yell of complaint for the mistreatment that he has been taking since his arrival to the planet hours ago.

"I have brought you out to see to it that you are executed," said Moori.

"Why? What have I done to you?" said Goku angrily.

"You are tainted," said Moori as he spat at Goku's clothes. "You cannot be pure ever again..."

"What do you mean?" said Goku as he struggled against the binds again.

"Once a warrior kills the blood of the innocent, that warrior is tainted forever," said Moori as he holds a rather nasty dagger in his hand. Before he could finish the stroke, Piccolo got in the way as he blocked the blade. "What treachery is this?"

"Let Son go, Moori," said Piccolo. "He means no harm to any of you."

"Are you sure?" questioned Moori as Goku grew tense.

"Can't I prove that I won't hurt anyone or are you the one who's tainted?" sneered Goku angrily as his eyes flashed teal. "Just give us a fucking chance, you green-skinned bastard!" Before Goku could react, Moori slapped the Earth-raised Saiya-jin in the face as his head jerked to the left side rather abruptly.

"I am nothing compared to you," hissed Moori as though he became a snake after his prey. Goku turned his eyes towards the one that slapped him and emitted a low growl from his throat.

"Then prove it," challenged Goku with a blazing fire in his eyes. The guards released Goku, but he still stood with his bindings still wrapped around his wrists.

"If you want to prove your worth, then you shall do the Trial of Fire," said Moori.

"Trial of Fire?" said Goku.

"The Trial of Fire is a trial where you will have to be judged standing in the middle of a circle of fire," said Piccolo. "The seer of the village will read your soul while you stand in the midst of the fire and see if it's pure or not."

"If that's what I have to do to prove that I'm pure, then so be it," said Goku. A few gray-robed Nameks walked around Goku spilling a mysterious, odorless powder on the ground. After the act was done, another Namekian lit the circle with a torch. In moments, the circle was on fire as a lone figure on the other side started gazing at Goku within the fire.

Moments passed as the figure read Goku's soul. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin felt the heat of the fire licking his flesh and caused the sweat to run down his face. Before Goku thought the flames would devour the very flesh that kept him from falling apart, they suddenly vanished. When the flames receded, the ropes came off his wrists as though they were burned straight through.

"He speaks the truth," said the figure in black robes. "Let him have the dragon balls."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Not long afterwards, Porunga was summoned, much to Vegeta's surprise. The other warriors were released as well and stood there next to Goku.

"What is your first wish," said Porunga.

"I wish for Earth to be restored," said Goku as Moori translates it.

"I shall bring it back," said Porunga as he twirled his finger in the air slowly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Deep in space in a place known as the Milky Way, debris from a planet started to gather back together as it molded and fused into lava and rock. In moments, the planet was given trees, air, and oceans again as the world known as Earth was restored. However, it almost seemed relatively lifeless with no animals or people to live on the planet. The cities seemed empty and vacant, sans the dead bodies littering the ground in contorted positions. It was though a mass extinction of all life just happened hours ago.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It has been done," said Porunga. "What is your next wish?"

"Is it possible to bring back more than one person at a time?" said Goku.

"Dad, Namek's dragon balls cannot do that," said Gohan.

"On the contrary," said Moori. "I made the dragon balls stronger, so they should be able to handle the request."

"Then do it!" said Goku as Moori once again translated it.

"Very well, please wait," said Porunga as his eyes glowed again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In a house in Mount Paozu, two eyes flickered open as Chi-chi looked and saw that she was alive. She noticed the floor was stained with blood as she remembered Gohan killing her when he came home with a dark look in his eyes.

'Why am I alive then? Did Kami bring me back to re-live this pain again?' thought Chi-chi with worry as she felt afraid for her very life.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On Kami's Lookout, Dende appears as Mr. Popo cries out in relief for the Guardian of Earth re-appearing out of thin air. Dende, on the other hand, seemed different and more quiet as he did not share in Mr. Popo's bliss. If Goku were there, he would have stopped Dende for what happened next: he killed Mr. Popo without any mercy.

"Now I must do my master's bidding..." said Dende as he walked into the temple where he would create a monster to reek havoc on Earth.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It is done," said Porunga. "What is your last wish?"

"My last wish is for that Sin can never reek havoc on Earth ever again," said Goku as Moori translates Goku's wish.

"An easy wish that can be granted," said Porunga as Goku felt the gate between Hell and Earth sealed. "I have granted your wishes, so I bid you farewell."

The dragon balls scattered across Namek, as Goku still felt uneasy. Unable to stand any longer, he fell to the ground exhausted.

"Dad!" cried Gohan as he ran to his father's side. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, but something's amiss," said Goku.

"What do you mean?" said Gohan.

"Dende..." gasped Piccolo as he growled. "He must have been brainwashed completely!"

"What?" cried Vegeta. "Then does that mean we'll have to fight against whatever the hell Dende's creating?"

"Is this true, dad?" said Gohan as Goku clenched his fists.

"I believe so, but I'm too weakened from the last round of fighting," said Goku. "I need to rest until we can go after Dende or else we'll fall."

"Bah, let me fight whatever Dende's creating," said Vegeta boastingly. "I'll destroy that monster before it could do anything to Earth."

"It won't work," said Goku. "Dende needs to be fully purified or else he'll create another monster much stronger to destroy Earth. Not only that, but he could probably bring Sin back from hell with the dragon balls."

"We can heal you, Goku," said Moori as a few healers appear. "Just relax and leave everything to us."

The healers surround Goku as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin began to feel his injuries heal up quickly. Standing up, Goku almost fell over, but Piccolo and Gohan caught him before he could fall down face first. Vegeta scoffed at this scene while Goku glared at Vegeta. The Saiya-jin Prince immediately regretted his actions seeing the anger written on the Earth-Saiya-jin's face.

'I guess I'm still edgy,' thought Goku as he saw the hurt expression on his son's face. "Vegeta, I..."

"Just forget it, clown," said Vegeta. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."

Before they could return to Earth to stop Dende's evil plan, Shin and Kibito appear with Trunks and Goten.

"Dad!" cried Trunks as he ran to Vegeta.

"Trunks?" said Vegeta in surprise as the young warrior looked up at him in surprise. "How did you get here?"

"I brought them here before the cataclysm of Earth," said Shin.

"Both of the boys have learned fusion, so that should be of use to you," said Kibito.

"Fusion?" said Goku.

"It's when two bodies merge into one," said Shin. "Go and stop Dende and we'll take it from there trying to purify his body completely."

"Right," said Goku as he stands up entirely before falling to the ground.

"Dad!" cried Gohan.

"He's our daddy?" said Goten as Goku noticed the sad look on the young hybrid's face before he got angry. "Gohan! I thought you said our father abandoned us! Why is he here now? Why?"

"Goten... I...." started Gohan before he found himself on the ground in pain as Goten was about to strike his own brother down. Before the final bow could be delivered, Goku intercepted the blow, much to Gohan's surprise.

"Listen, I didn't abandon you, Goten," hissed Goku as he tried to hold his ascended state as he held back Goten's fist from hitting the elder warrior. "I was kidnapped and brainwashed to destroy Earth..." Before anyone could act, Goku suddenly passed out from the strain of ascending; his flaxen hair reverted back to the atramentous locks that the warrior had naturally.

"Son!" yelled Piccolo as the warrior made no attempts to get up. "Dammit. This isn't good. Unless Son recovers, there's no hope for Earth. The scales are too uneven."

"Then what are we supposed to do? Wait until Kakarot wakes up from his sleep?" scorned Vegeta. "He's no use to us if he's worn out to the point that he can't even hold back his youngest son's fist."

"Then let me do something to attempt to even the scales a little bit," said Shin as he knelt down at Goku's side and concentrated. A faint golden glow appeared around his body as the dynasty concentrated his power into Goku's body. In moments, the fallen warrior opened his eyes as his body pulsated in a faint golden light.

"What are you..." started Goku before Shin placed a hand against the Saiya-jin's mouth.

"I'm going to give some of my strength so you can fight again," said Shin. "Just don't resist..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meanwhile on Kami's Lookout, Dende was channeling a dark chi into the statue of Shenlong himself. His eyes had a demonic look in them during this process as he had an evil agenda that he had to carry out in order to destroy all the inhabitants of Earth like Sin did hours earlier when he destroyed Earth. Finishing the process, he summoned the seven golden orbs with his mind as they fell to the ground in front of him with red stars in them.

"I summon you by your name, Shenlong, to arise and do my bidding!" chanted Dende.

Lightning and thunder tore at the heavens as a golden ray of light arced from the Dragon Balls themselves into the pitch-black skies above. The light manifested itself into the form of the mighty dragon known as Shenlong himself. Dark and mysterious power flowed off the dragon himself as Dende looked in pure delight at the dragon that towered before him in pure ecstasy.

****

"You have summoned me," thundered the Godly Dragon that was Shenlong. **"What do you request of me to do in your name, oh mighty Kami?"** Dende smiled a wicked smile in response.

"I want you to kill all life on this planet!" cried Dende.

****

"As you wish," said Shenlong as he prepared to do what Dende asked. Suddenly, Dende found Goku and the others fighters in front of him. Like a cat would do when threatened, he hissed at the warriors.

"Dende..." started Goku before he found himself wrapped up in tainted energy. Dende bound him in a web of energy keeping the warrior from being able to move at all and smiling evilly as he bellowed out to the Dragon God againl

"Shenlong! Destroy Kakarot before you kill the people on Earth!" cried Dende. "He can destroy me and keep Sin's plans for universal domination from happening!"

****

"As you wish," the dragon roared as he came streaming towards the warrior known as Son Goku. Before the dragon could reach him, a figure got into the way and took the deathblow for the warrior, as a blinding light seemed to pierce the skies.

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Oh! A cliffhanger! Should I leave it like that and not give you peeps out there a little teaser? *chuckles* I guess that would be cruel not to give you a teaser since you'll be surprised what's going to happen next. Now onto some of the reviews I got:

Psy: *grabs Goku* I'm not done with my story yet! Besides, this story's about to get really interesting in the next chapter, so just wait a bit longer. ^^

DBZ Chick1: Be careful what you wish for. A certain character's death will take place next chapter.

Chichiko: Thanks for the review. I do have something cooking up with this fanfic and the climax of this story is coming up in the next chapter, so be prepared.

Gokugirl9: Yeah. Dende's has been brainwashed by Sin before he was killed. Now he's controlling Shenlong to destroy Earth as well as our heroes. Goku's been through a great deal of stress lately with the battles he had to fight. Not only that, but he was forced to fight against the very allies he swore to protect, including his own son.

Arcanine18: Thanks. I'm glad you like the story.

Ewasp27: Thanks. It is awfully angst-ish, isn't it? At first, I didn't want it to get this angst, but it seemed the darker it got, the more in depth it would get as the story progressed.

And now for the teaser:

__

The light slowly ebbed as Goku cracked his eyes open slowly as light winds ruffled through the atramentous locks of hair on his head. He wasn't in any pain in the slightest; the Lookout on the other hand looked as though a hurricane hit it. The whole sanctuary was in shambles with parts of the walls, trees, and even the plants themselves were littering the grounds. No longer bound by the tainted chi that kept him from being able to get out of the Dragon God's way moments earlier, he looked around as he saw all of his allies staring in absolute horror. Following their stares, his eyes fell upon the limp form in front of him as the last remains of dust settled to reveal...

"Gohan!" yelled Goku as he ran to his eldest son and knelt down at his side.

"His death was in vain though," said Dende with acid dripping in his voice. "Your death should have been the thing to prepare for the lives of the people on Earth to be destroyed."

The more the God talked, the angrier Goku grew as the golden aura surrounded his tense body. Goku's eyes suddenly flashed aquamarine and his hair stood on end like an invisible force was keeping it suspended in mid-air without wavering once. By the way it looked at that moment, it was as though he was fighting a battle within his soul not to kill the one who killed his son.

"You won't kill them," hissed Goku as the golden light exploded around him as he ascended quickly into Super Saiya-jin 3 without a pause or rest in between. His golden-tinged tail wrapped tightly around his narrow waist to keep the Dragon God from grappling it in the battle he was about to take alone; that was if a voice of reason hadn't of interrupted just then.

"Son! Don't be reckless!" yelled Piccolo. "He's only angering you to make you lose!"

"The Namek's right!" yelled Vegeta. "We need to fight together as a team!"

"There's nothing you can do to talk him out of it," said Grand Kai. "He doesn't know that he has to be in an unadulterated state to summon the Genki Dama. In any case, he's upset about his son's death to worry about the side-effects of what the battle will do to him."

"If only we can talk him out of it," said King Kai.

"Then let me talk to him then," said a voice as King Kai looked up.

"YOU!" cried King Kai.

"Kakarot," said Vegeta quietly.

"Please," pleaded the Earth-raised Saiya-jin as Shenlong saw the Genki Dama and gasped.

"You won't have their power!" roared Shenlong as he fired an energy blast at Goku. Unable to dodge or block, he was hit by the blast as the Genki Dama suddenly dissipated into thin air.

"NO!" cried Piccolo as Goku fell to the ground near-death itself and no longer able to stand again. "SON!"

How about that for a teaser, huh? Hopefully, you'll all come back for more and for those of you out there who have been reading and not reviewing, I encourage you to review.


	13. A Beastly Metamorphosis

Bound

Chapter 12

Um... taps microphone I don't own them. smiles innocently Now for the moment of truth...

* * *

The light slowly ebbed as Goku cracked his eyes open slowly as light winds ruffled through the atramentous locks of hair on his head. He wasn't in any pain in the slightest; the Lookout on the other hand looked as though a hurricane hit it. The whole sanctuary was in shambles with parts of the walls, trees, and even the plants themselves were littering the grounds. No longer bound by the tainted chi that kept him from being able to get out of the Dragon God's way moments earlier, he looked around as he saw all of his allies staring in absolute horror. Following their stares, his eyes fell upon the limp form in front of him as the last remains of dust settled to reveal... 

"Gohan!" yelled Goku as he ran to his eldest son and knelt down at his side.

"No..." moaned Goten weakly as Gohan shuttered from the blood covering his bare chest that had a hole in it. Goku barely felt himself running towards his eldest son; his mind was completely in denial of what just happened. "Gohan... my brother..."

"Gohan," whispered Goku as he knelt down to his son's side and held him in his arms. "Why did you do it? Why did you sacrifice your life for mine?"

"You did the same for me when I was a boy," said a bloody and near-dead Gohan as he coughed up blood. "I thought I'd repay the favor for you..."

"Don't say that," croaked Goku; his voice breaking from the strain of trying not to cry in front of his son. "I failed to protect you as a child. I should have taken the blow."

"No," gasped Gohan as he raised a shaking hand towards his father's arm and weakly grasped it. Goku flinched slightly at the blood that coated his hand as some was transferred to his arm by the single touch. Flesh vibrated against pure muscle due to the weakness within the young man that had seen, but never experienced death himself until that moment in time. Now, as he laid dying in front of the warriors that were like a family to him in a way, he was dying a warrior's death upon the battlefield within the heavens themselves. "You need to live... father... for Earth... please..."

The warrior's eyes became completely blank and the hand fell away as Goku nearly cried out in anguish. The lifeless look in the young man's eyes told the warrior that his eldest son was dead. Tears threatened to fall from Goku's eyes; if he hadn't of blinked them away in frustration; the same eyes that once held pure innocence and happiness before Sin, the arrogant tyrant, stole that from him mercilessly. Everyone was quiet and paid their respects to the warrior's sacrifice, including Goten as the tears ran down his face silently.

Dark laughter pierced the silence around the warrior as Goku glared at Dende; who was at that time smirking evilly with the Godly dragon hovering over him like an obedient pet. The Earthen warriors consisting of Krillin, Tien, Chou-su, and Yamcha had finally appeared on the Lookout. They seemed completely lost in what was going on before Dende spoke up and they grew even more confused.

"It seems your son took the blow intended to kill you," said Dende as Goku growled a warning to the God-like being.

"Gohan's dead?" said Krillin on the sidelines in pure shock. "Then why are we here?"

"We're here in case Goku needs us," said Tien.

"Oh yeah," said Krillin.

"Why is Dende against us though?" said Yamcha.

"It's because Sin brainwashed him," said Shin bitterly.

"Was that the same person that kidnapped Goku?" said Chou-su.

"The very same," said Shin as the Earthen warriors gasp.

"You bastard!" hissed Goku as the veins popped up on the tense muscles. "You'll pay for killing my son!"

"His death was in vain though," said Dende with acid dripping in his voice. "Your death should have been the thing to prepare for the lives of the people on Earth to be destroyed."

The more the God talked, the angrier Goku grew as the golden aura surrounded his tense body. Goku's eyes suddenly flashed aquamarine and his hair stood on end like an invisible force was keeping it suspended in mid-air without wavering once. By the way it looked at that moment, it was as though he was fighting a battle within his soul not to kill the one who killed his son.

"You won't kill them," hissed Goku as the golden light exploded around him as he ascended quickly into Super Saiya-jin 3 without a pause or rest in between. His golden-tinged tail wrapped tightly around his narrow waist to keep the Dragon God from grappling it in the battle he was about to take alone; that was if a voice of reason hadn't of interrupted just then.

"Son! Don't be reckless!" yelled Piccolo. "He's only angering you to make you lose!"

"The Namek's right!" yelled Vegeta. "We need to fight together as a team!"

"We've been with you for years, Goku," said Tien as the other warriors agree with the three-eyed warrior.

"If not, we'll all fail and Earth will be..." started Piccolo before he noticed Goku turn and face them with tears on his face. Vegeta and Piccolo gasped as they saw the mightiest of warriors shed tears of sorrow on the battlefield.

"If that's the case, I rather die than to let Sin win," said Goku sternly before turning his back on his allies. "Give me some time to prepare the Genki Dama."

"What?!" said Vegeta and Piccolo.

"You can't do it in that form though!" said Krillin. "You need calm in order to summon the Genki Dama or you'll be destroyed!" Goku threw his arms up in the air as he began to concentrate; still in the adulterated form and ignored the ex-monk's pleas. "Stop!"

"I won't give you time to summon the Genki Dama's power," said Dende as he prepared to use Shenlong to attack again when two child-like voices were heard.

"FU-SION! HA!"

Dende noticed too late and was blinded by a light along with the other warriors, sans Goku who had his eyes closed in pure concentration. Out of the blinding light, a new figure emerged as his hair was a blend of Goten and Trunks' hair. Powering up to Super Saiya-jin, that answered the warrior's questions on whom the boy was, but they didn't know who to call the boy.

"What magic is this?" cursed Dende in pure anger.

"This is not magic," said the child-like warrior in a mix of two voices. "This is the forgotten art of Fusion. My name is Gotenks and I shall be your opponent!"

"Like a mere boy can stop me," scoffed Dende. "Shenlong! Transform into your humanoid form and attack the traitors of Sin as well as the other warriors!"

"As you wish," Shenlong said as the light surrounded his body and he shrunk down to around Piccolo's stature. As the light ebbed, a humanoid face that looked similar to Freeza's was seen. Shenlong in his humanoid form looked far different than anyone could imagine. His skin was white as snow as he wore forest-green fighting gear trimmed with gold. A red sash bound his waist and black hair with green highlights in them. His eyes maintained their red hue as he wore black combat shoes with red wrappings on his feet. A slender green tail protruded from his back like it shouldn't exist on any life form.

"This is Shenlong in his humanoid form?" said Piccolo. "How can this be?"

"A good question indeed," said Shenlong in a softer, more pronounced voice that seemed more clear and precise to understand compared to the booming voice he usually possessed as the Dragon God himself. "You see when Dende merged his power with mine; he also made it possible so that I can take on a human-like appearance if needed."

* * *

Goku, in the meantime, was concentrating as the sweat ran down his face from the concentration of holding the Super Saiya-jin 3 form and summoning the Genki Dama. Above him in the sky, a huge sphere-like object was forming as the Earth-raised Saiya-jin was trying not to fold under the strain of summoning the Genki Dama; the same Genki Dama that King Kai taught him over a decade ago. If King Kai himself knew of the dangers of summoning the Genki Dama in the adulterated state that Goku was in at that moment, he would have been yelling at his student and telling him not to do it. Or perhaps he did know his student's fate at the moment...

* * *

"GOKU! STOP IT! YOU'LL KILL YOURSELF IF YOU KEEP TRYING TO DRAW THE GENKI DAMA INTO YOURSELF WITHIN THAT STATE!" yelled King Kai as he tried to reach the saner side of Goku to make him realize what he was doing.

"There's nothing you can do to talk him out of it," said Grand Kai. "He doesn't know that he has to be in an unadulterated state to summon the Genki Dama. In any case, he's upset about his son's death to worry about the side effects of what the battle will do to him."

"If only we can talk him out of it," said King Kai.

"Then let me talk to him then," said a voice as King Kai looked up.

"YOU!" cried King Kai. Gohan, standing there with a halo over his head, seemed worried about his father's fate on Earth.

"Please," said Gohan. "I need to or else he'll destroy himself!"

"Very well," said King Kai as he turned around. "Just place your hand on my back and concentrate your thoughts to him.

"Thank you," said Gohan as he did what his father's teacher asked.

* * *

Dad! Don't do it!

Goku opened his eyes in shock. The pain was blinding him during the summoning as he felt like he was dying a slow and painful death. "G-Gohan?!"

King Kai says that you can't summon the Genki Dama in that state any longer or else you'll destroy yourself!

"But..." started Gohan.

Please dad... Please live...

Goku was shocked by his son's plea as he let go of Super Saiya-jin 3 and felt the heavy strain of summoning the needed chi for the Genki Dama.

"I will, my son," said Goku as he continued the process.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gotenks was staring down Shenlong and trying to find an opening as the former Dragon-like being lunged at the fusion and knocked him down.

"He's too fast!" said Piccolo as Gotenks got up. "How can you expect to win?"

Gotenks laughed. "I only let him get that hit in to see how strong he was." With a battle cry, Gotenks ascended into a Super Saiya-jin 3 as the others stared in shock.

"H-how did you do it?" said Krillin.

"You mean ascend into a Super Saiya-jin 3?" said Gotenks as he looked angrily at Shenlong. "Sin killed all of you and that was how I ascended into this form! Unless we stop Dende and Shenlong, he'll bring back Sin to destroy this planet again!"

"We need to fight together even though Son thinks he can take him down with the Genki Dama by himself," said Piccolo.

I'm with all of you now, said Goku through telepathy. Lend me your strength and I'll lend you the power of the world.

Everyone turned around and saw Goku standing there with the Genki Dama over his head as it almost seemed as though it gained strength from the solar system alone.

"Kakarot," said Vegeta quietly.

"Please," pleaded the Earth-raised Saiya-jin as Shenlong saw the Genki Dama and gasped.

"You won't have their power!" roared Shenlong as he fired an energy blast at Goku. Unable to dodge or block, he was hit by the blast as the Genki Dama suddenly dissipated into thin air.

"NO!" cried Piccolo as Goku fell to the ground near-death itself and no longer able to stand again. "SON!"

"Hmph," said Shenlong as he grabbed Goku by the front of his torn shirt. "So this is the legendary warrior that is to destroy me..."

"I still can," groaned Goku in pain.

"What can you do possibly do in your condition anyway?" said Shenlong before he threw Goku towards the other warriors. Goku moaned in discomfort as his body skipped across the ground painfully. At that moment, Gotenks' fusion dissolved as Goten ran to his father's side.

"Daddy!" cried Goten with tears in his eyes. Though the boy had treated his father with disrespect when he first met him, he came to terms with the carbon copy of himself through the battle when Shenlong himself killed his brother.

"How touching," said Shenlong. "I think I'll kill the boy that hated you next..."

"Stay away from him!" cried Vegeta as he got into Goten and Goku's way. "You won't kill Kakarot or his spawn, you freak!"

"Really?" said Shenlong. "And what might you, the Prince of a Fallen Race, do about it when I am told to kill everyone in the first place?"

"Whatever the hell I want to take a bastard dragon down," growled Vegeta as he transformed in an Ascended Super Saiya-jin and lunged at the God-like beast that had mortally wounded a barely living Goku. Goten was crying as Piccolo placed his hand upon the fallen warrior's chest.

"He won't make it unless we have a Senzu Bean," said Piccolo.

"Korin said that he didn't have any left, so there's nothing we can do to save him," said Krillin.

"There... is one thing... you can do..." wheezed Goku weakly. "You got to... let Shin heal me..." Shin was shocked.

"Even if I do heal you, it won't be enough because I gave you my chi earlier!" said Shin.

"You have to try though," said Goku as he coughed up some blood.

"Very well," said Shin as he concentrated and a light energy surrounded Goku's body as the small scratches started to fade.

"Let me help," said Piccolo as he started channeling his chi into Goku in a form of healing energy as the fatal wound in his right lung was starting to heal. Kibito, who was against sparing the Saiya-jin earlier, joined in as he knelt down to the warrior's side quietly and contributed in healing Goku. The last of the wounds healed as he started to breathe easier until he was able to breathe normally again.

"Thank you guys," said Goku as he got up again as he powered up again and nearly blew the three that helped him away with his aura. Vegeta, meanwhile, was losing a battle as he is thrown into a pillar and chained there by energy rings.

"Let me... go!" growled Vegeta as Shenlong smirked.

"Not until you submit to Sin's rule," said Shenlong as his eyes flickered and Vegeta moaned in pure pain.

"N-never you f-f-freak!" groaned Vegeta.

"Perhaps I shall _encourage_ you otherwise," said Shenlong. Before Vegeta could do anything, he was assaulted by the pain-filled memories of his past when he used to work for Freeza himself. He saw the monster before him starting to shape-shift as he grew afraid of the monster that had beaten and raped him when he was only a child when he misbehaved standing before him twice as powerful as he used to be.

"N-no!" cried Vegeta as he feared for his life. Before Shenlong could do anything in Vegeta's helpless state, Vegeta heard a war-filled scream through the illusion...

"VEGETA!" cried Goku as he kicked Shenlong away from Vegeta as the illusion faded and the energy rings dissipated from his wrists. Shenlong flew into a standing structure that folded in on itself upon impact as it came raining down on the God-like beast.

"Kakarot," said Vegeta as he saw the fully healed Goku in Ascended Super Saiya-jin; breathing hard after being healed from death's doorstep and saving his prince from harm.

"Are you all right, Vegeta?" said Goku as he saw a frown on his face.

"Whatever," growled Vegeta. "That bastard is going to pay!"

"Not quite," said Shenlong as he emerged from the rubble that fell upon him. Some dirt and blood was on his face as he looked at them in pure bliss. "I still can defeat you."

"How when you're outnumbered?" said Piccolo as the other warriors surrounded Shenlong.

"Dende can bring me back if needed," said Shenlong. "So your attempts will be in futile."

'I need time to prepare the Genki Dama again,' thought Goku. 'If I can try to gather the energy again, maybe I...'

"You won't, Kakarot," growled Shenlong as he trapped Goku in a magical barrier.

"Son!" growled Piccolo.

"Inside that barrier, he'll be brainwashed again," said Shenlong.

"No!" cried Tien. "If he's brainwashed again, he'll..."

"Yes!" laughed Shenlong. "He'll become evil again!"

"Not if I can do anything about it!" yelled Vegeta as he shot a blast at the crystal, but it remained perfectly flawless.

"You cannot damage it," said Shenlong. "Even as we speak, he's losing himself in there and will emerge as Kakarot again for good!"

* * *

Inside the crystal itself, the horrible statement ringed true. Goku was getting brainwashed again by false illusions as he tried to go against them. Feeling the control fading, he almost gave in entirely...

You can't give in...

Kakarotto?

If you do, your friends, the Earth you vowed to protect, will be gone...

How can I get out then?

Believe in your power and break free...

Goku opened his eyes as he saw a full moon in front of him as he felt a shutter run through his body.

Though this is an illusion, draw upon its power and use it to take down that damn dragon!

What will happen to me after I transform?

You'll win.

* * *

Shenlong laughed at the tense warriors remaining on the battlefield as they waited patiently for the end due to their savior being sealed within the tainted crystal. It was futile for them to take on the God-like beast without Goku, but they had no hope or no plan of action. Dende cackled evilly. He knew he had the upper hand and could easily send Shenlong to wipe them out in one blow, but he decided to prolong their torture and savor victory for himself.

"Shenlong! I want you to kill Shin first for he is the one that had turned Goku against us!" barked Dende as Shenlong smiled evilly.

"If that's your wish, then I shall grant it," said Shenlong. Shin, knowing it was futile slid into a battle stance and waited for the end.

A cracking sound was heard as Dende turned and saw the once flawless crystal have cracks inside of its surface and more were appearing at an alarming rate.

"What in the fuck-?" said Dende before the crystal shattered; scattering the dark material upon the warriors and Lookout. A roar shook the Lookout's surface as the warriors looked up in pure horror.

"It can't be!" roared Shenlong. Hovering above the warriors was Goku in his Oozaru form as he stared with bloodthirsty eyes at his allies.

"AHHH!" cried Krillin. "Goku's transformed!"

"This isn't good," said Piccolo. "Son has no control over this form."

"Does this mean we'll all die?" said Goten.

"Yes," said Piccolo.

Things looked grim for the protectors of Earth. It seemed that a double threat to annihilate Earth seemed possible. Even if Shenlong himself was controlled, Goku had no control and even if Shenlong were defeated, there would be no stopping Goku within the form he holds.

* * *

Okay. Maybe it seems kind of illogical for Goku to become an Oozaru upon the Lookout when the air is pretty thin, but the Lookout has been kind of blown down several thousand feet after Shenlong tried to kill Goku the first time. I mean come on! The Lookout's had been reduced to a few tiles with Piccolo trying to cling to it to remain in the sky at one point! Speaking of which, can't Piccolo fly if Buu destroys it or is he trying to save what's left of it? I still wonder about that scene to this very day. Anyway, on to reviews: 

Psy: sighs as she gives up trying to take Goku away from her Well, I DID give away some of the secrets in this chapter by giving you a peek at what's to come didn't I? (And the fact I DID tell you what was going to happen in advance to get your opinion...) the readers grow angry at her as the authoress gets to the next review

Gokugirl9: You can't blame Dende for being an idiot. He's been brainwashed and he's only doing what he's supposed to do. It was hard for me to write Gohan's death scene as well because I didn't want to make Goku so out of character. Hopefully, that was just right...

DBZ Chick1: Okay. I killed Gohan. Go me. waves a banner as other Gohan fans protest Hey! He'll be back. NEXT YEAR! dodges tomatoes as she gets to the next review

Luna's Meow: Thanks. I hope you like this chapter to make up for the teaser!

So anyone interested in not having a teaser this time around? gets a lot of cries of protest over the idea Just kidding! Here's the teaser!

"Yes! Kill them all, Kakarot!" shrieked Dende. Goku looked down at the others as Shin lunged at Goku in pure vain. Catching the warrior like a fluttering butterfly, Goku was held the dynasty within his giant hands. "Make them suffer! Shenlong! Let us reek havoc on the Earthlings!"

"As you wish, my master," said Shenlong as both he and Dende flew off, leaving the warriors to contend with Goku.

"Kakarot! You monster!" yelled Vegeta. Goku opened his hands and plucked the Kai by the back of his shirt as he cried out in terror. Opening his gigantic mouth, Goku dropped the Kai in and snapped his mouth shut as he chewed the dynasty to death.

"CANNIBAL!" roared Kibito in pure rage at Goku. He smiled evilly down upon the insect-like warriors and almost seemed to chuckle a rather dark chuckle.

"Wait a minute," said Piccolo. "If that's true, then Shenlong would have disappeared."

Dark laughter was heard as Shenlong lifted up his head and fired a blast at Vegeta, hitting the Saiya-jin Prince. All eyes were on Vegeta as he went flying into a cliff side and was mortally wounded in the chest. His hold on the ascended form was lost as blonde hair faded back to black in moments.

"So is this a former father's way of punishing your own son?" said Shenlong.

"You're no son of mine since I technically disowned you the moment I fused with Kami," scoffed Piccolo.

"Hm, I wonder who would win the fight between us," said Shenlong with a smirk on his face as he slid into a fighting stance.

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Piccolo.

Hopefully, that will leave some of you in suspense until the next chapter is finished. I know this is getting darker and darker by the minute, but there will be more coming soon! So stay tuned!


	14. The Climatic Struggle Against All Odds

Bound

Chapter 13

Oooo! Chapter 13. How scary! As usual, I don't own the characters, so don't sue me please!

* * *

A shadow loomed over the fighters as a primitive roar echoed through the sky and deafened the warriors temporarily. With Goku in his Oozaru state, the fate of Earth seemed deathly grim. Dende was in bliss knowing he had the upper hand at that moment as the warriors looked like they had lost their last hope for victory for good.

"Yes! Kill them all, Kakarot!" shrieked Dende. Goku looked down at the others as Shin lunged at Goku in pure vain. Catching the warrior like a fluttering butterfly, Goku was held the dynasty within his giant hands. "Make them suffer! Shenlong! Let us reek havoc on the Earthlings!"

"As you wish, my master," said Shenlong as both he and Dende flew off, leaving the warriors to contend with Goku.

"Kakarot! You monster!" yelled Vegeta. Goku opened his hands and plucked the Kai by the back of his shirt as he cried out in terror. Opening his gigantic mouth, Goku dropped the Kai in and snapped his mouth shut as he chewed the dynasty to death.

"CANNIBAL!" roared Kibito in pure rage at Goku. He smiled evilly down upon the insect-like warriors and almost seemed to chuckle a rather dark chuckle. "YOU SICK BASTARD! I'LL AVENGE YOU SUPREME KAI! I SWEAR UPON MY LIFE!"

Alas, all hope seemed lost. Until...

"Kibito!" cried a familiar voice as Kibito looked up and saw Shin perfectly alive on the end of Goku's tail as it wavered. "I'm perfectly fine! See?"

"What?!" said Kibito in pure shock. "M-master! But how?"

"I teleported out just in time," said Shin. "It was as though he wasn't going to hurt us."

"I'm not," responded Goku from above them as his poker face wore through.He chuckled a light-hearted chuckle this time; greatly amused of scaring the shit out of his own allies. They glared at him, but sighed in relief that their doom wouldn't be at the hands of their leader after all.

"You have the_ nerve_ to pull a stunt like that, Kakarot," growled Vegeta. "You're lucky he bought that bluff and left."

"True it was pretty risky, but it worked," said Goku as he started to shift back to his humanoid shape again; completely nude for the second time that day. "Now we have some time to form a plan to stop Dende and save Earth."

"I... see..." said Piccolo as a blush appeared on his face.

"Goku, we know you're naïve, but aren't you in the least ashamed by your nudity?" said Krillin as Goku took notice of his lack of attire and smiled goofily.

"Not really," said Goku. All of the warriors, sans Goten and Trunks, face vaulted from the way he acted at that moment. Though he was brainwashed by Sin, he was starting to become the same person he was before he was captured seven years prior. The warriors picked themselves off the ground as Goku laughed innocently and grinned.

"For the love of Kami," groaned Piccolo as he rolled his eyes. "You're completely impossible to figure out, Son!"

**......................................**

Minutes later, Goku was dressed in the same fighting gear he wore earlier as the warriors started to talk over the options on how to take down Shenlong. Some of the ideas involved group strategies, but others seemed too farfetched and could end up failing in the battle beforehand.

"Why can't Goten and I just use Fusion again?" said Trunks as Goten and him went through the fusion dance out of practice. Goku and Vegeta both saw the dance performed without the fusion and Vegeta was disgusted by the poses. "We both are at the same power level to perform it!"

'Only as a last resort will I do that with Kakarot,' thought Vegeta.

"We can't endanger your lives over it," said Goku. "Goten, can you check up on your mother for me and make sure she's all right?"

"Kakarot's right," said Vegeta, agreeing with the Earth-raised Saiya-jin for once. "We can't have children on the battlefield. If you die, then I know the harpy will be rather moody and wield the frying pan."

Trunks and Goten grimaced as they remembered when Chi-chi slapped Vegeta across the face with a frying pan. Poor Vegeta had a concussion for a few hours afterwards. Nodding in unison, the boys left quietly to make sure that Chi-chi was safe.

"Son, why not do a sneak attack?" said Piccolo.

"Sneak attack? On who?" said Goku.

"On Dende," said Piccolo. "He's the guardian of the Dragon Balls, isn't he? We'll need to kill him in order to stop Shenlong."

"What?!" said Krillin. "But the Dragon Balls..."

"We have no other alternative," said Piccolo. "If we don't stop Shenlong, then we might as well give up and die right now!"

"The Namek's right," agreed Vegeta. "If that bastard's to be stopped, he must be stopped at the roots and we must kill Dende!"

"Goku, help us out here!" said Krillin. "Are we really going to kill Dende to stop Shenlong?"

Silence settled upon the ruined Lookout like a heavy blanket. The only sound heard was the rough wind blowing across the damaged Lookout as it gently brushed against the warrior's clothes. It was a chaotic suspense on the warriors when Goku didn't answer at first; his eyes were looking at all of the other warriors around him that he trusted with his very life. If time would have stopped then, then they probably would have never noticed. Finally, an answer escaped the Earth-raised Saiya-jin's lips.

"We need to do it. We need to kill Dende. If not, then he'll just bring this calamity upon mankind again after we defeat Shenlong."

"No!" cried Krillin. "You mean there's no other way?"

"Once corrupted, the innocence will be lost forever." To prove his point, Goku's eyes looked into Krillin's as he saw the pain and despair that he went through in his seven year absence. "Let's go before it's too late and more die needlessly."

**......................................**

Meanwhile, in Pepperidge Town, Shenlong was reeking havoc blowing up random objects as people were screaming and running away from the God-like beast. Dende smirked at the handiwork Shenlong had done to the once tranquil town as the blood of the innocents were shed in Sin's name.

"Excellent work, Shenlong," said Dende. "Perhaps we should go see how Kakarot's doing with the other warriors."

"A fine idea," said Shenlong as the two were about to head back to the ruins of the Lookout when Goku and the other warriors appeared out of thin air ready for battle.

"Traitor!" hissed Dende. "How could you betray me?"

"When you threaten Earth," growled Goku as he transformed into a Super Saiya-jin 3.

"Really?" said Shenlong. "Master, shall I kill him quick and painless or slow and painful?"

"Either one's fine as long as you kill him," said Dende.

"As you wish," said Shenlong as he lunged towards Goku. The Earth-raised Saiya-jin dodged the maneuver by phasing out; however, Shenlong threw a punch behind him as Goku got hit in the face. Blood ran down his face from his nose as he growled a warning towards the God-like beast. Coaxing the Saiya-jin to come at him, Goku charged and was thrown to the ground painfully as Shenlong grabbed Goku by the throat.

"Ungh!" cried Goku.

"You should have remained on our side," said Shenlong. "You're no match for me."

"Maybe not," said Goku. "But you're no match for Vegeta either!"

"What?!" growled Shenlong as he turned and saw the Saiya-jin Prince holding Dende hostage. "Let him go!"

"I'll kill him if it's the only way you're going to be destroyed," said Vegeta angrily.

"Don't do it!" cried Shenlong as he released Goku. Vegeta smiled a sadist smile before crushing Dende's throat mercilessly as Shenlong shrieked out in pain. He crumpled to the ground in front of Vegeta as he threw Dende's dead body to the ground.

"It's over," said Goku as he sighed in relief.

"Wait a minute," said Piccolo. "If that's true, then Shenlong would have disappeared."

Dark laughter was heard as Shenlong lifted up his head and fired a blast at Vegeta, hitting the Saiya-jin Prince. All eyes were on Vegeta as he went flying into a cliff side and was mortally wounded in the chest. His hold on the ascended form was lost as blonde hair faded back to black in moments.

"Vegeta!" cried Goku in pure shock.

"Nice theory, but my master was smart enough to separate his life force from mine before summoning me into this realm," Shenlong boasted.

"Then we're doomed," said Yamcha.

"If we admit that, then we are just giving up," said 18 as she lands along with 17 behind the other warriors.

"18! What are you doing here?" said Krillin.

"I'm coming to help you guys in battle," said 18. "Besides, I still am curious whatever happened to Goku these past seven years myself."

"I'm here so that you don't get my sister killed," glared 17 as he looked at the nervous Krillin standing there.

"I-I won't!" choked Krillin. "Honest!"

"More fighters coming to meet their doom at my hands, huh?" said Shenlong. "I suppose it would be honorable for warriors to come flocking to death rather than cower like the losers they are."

"Did you just call me a loser?" cried a voice as the warriors of Earth look and see Mr. Satan standing there. "I will not take that from a guy that thinks he's utterly arrogant. I shall show you! SATAN'S ATOMIC PUNCH!"

"No! Stop!" cried Goku as Mr. Satan runs towards Shenlong with his fist extended and punched him in the face. Though normally, a human would be thrown back a few feet, Shenlong didn't make a single move. Mr. Satan pulled his hand away from the God-like beast's face and started to blow on his hand as Shenlong looked sick at the way the false champion of the world tapped his face like a gnat would.

"Well? Did that teach you a lesson?" said Mr. Satan as he grew nervous at the fact that Shenlong didn't even flinch at the punch at all.

"No, that proves how much you humans make me sick," growled Shenlong holding an energy blast in his hand aimed at Mr. Satan. "DIE!"

Mr. Satan ran away like a mad man as the energy blasts destroy the ground behind him. Shenlong laughed evilly as he watched the pathetic human run like the dog he was. A punch stopped the God-like beast from killing him as Shenlong looked up to see Piccolo growling at him.

"So is this a former father's way of punishing your own son?" said Shenlong.

"You're no son of mine since I technically disowned you the moment I fused with Kami," scoffed Piccolo.

"Hm, I wonder who would win the fight between us," said Shenlong with a smirk on his face as he slid into a fighting stance.

"We'll just have to wait and see," said Piccolo.

**......................................**

While Piccolo was about to face off against Shenlong, Goku was at Vegeta's side as he gasped for heavy breaths.

"Vegeta, hang on," said Goku. He placed his hands upon his chest as he concentrated upon the healing ability he learned when he was abducted by Sin. Concentrating, a faint glow surrounded his hands as the energy transferred into the Saiya-jin Prince's body. His breathing was shallow and uneven. Goku knew he was just hanging on by a thread as he focused upon the task at hand and began his work.

**......................................**

Piccolo and Shenlong lunged at one another with a melee of punches and kicks against one another as both of them fought on equal footing. Neither one seemed to be gaining an inch against one another in the duel against the former God and God-like beast. The other warriors watched; honoring their wishes for an honest duel rather than gang up like him and killing him easily.

Shenlong, being older and wiser, had more surprises for Piccolo, but did not use them just yet. He felt he needed to weaken him in order to start showing his true power. Piccolo seemed almost aware of the God-like beast's plans, but had no idea that he was slowly, but surely falling into a trap that he couldn't get out of.

"They're even," said Krillin.

"No, I think Shenlong's holding back," said Tien.

"How can you tell?" said Krillin.

"Don't you notice how he's not giving into opposition?" said Vegeta. "This means that Shenlong is hiding his true power until it's too late for the Namek to do anything about it!"

"Then why are we not warning Piccolo about it?" said Yamcha. "He'll die again if we don't tell him what's going on!"

You cannot interfere with this fight, said Shenlong's voice through the warriors' minds. Suddenly, they found themselves in a barrier that kept them from contacting Piccolo. He shall not know anything about what's going on!

You bastard! hissed Chou-su. Do you care what happens to him?

Not really, said Shenlong with an evil smile on his face.

**......................................**

Trunks and Goten were flying towards Mount Paozu when they suddenly felt the other warrior's power levels drop off the face of the Earth.

"Goten! Stop!" cried Trunks as the youngest Son stopped.

"Why?" said Goten.

"The guys are endanger! We need to go save them!" said Trunks.

"But what about my mom?" Goten said.

"We'll have to trust that she's fine and save the others before it's too late!" Trunks cried as he turned around and flew towards the battlefield.

"Wait for me!" cried Goten.

**......................................**

Darkness. It was like a void of emptiness stretched out in front of the Saiya-jin Prince. It was where life and death meet and battled often. Dying once in front of his former nemesis, it no longer mattered anymore whether he lived or died. If he continued to live, then Shenlong would destroy all life and kill him anyway. If he died, however...

'It would be a worthless and pitiful sacrifice,' thought Vegeta. 'Damn that beast for catching me off guard when I'm vulnerable!'

Vegeta was aware of his bodily pain; even though it started to lessen. Perhaps he was going back to Yemma's court to be judged for the atrocities he committed all his life and be sent to hell where Sin was waiting. The very thought of going where Sin was at made him bitter and vengeful. If he did go back, he might as well give Sin a one-way ticket to non-existence when he got there.

'Hopefully, he won't have a dummy already possessed to take me down when I see him,' thought Vegeta in anger. 'If I do see him, I'll tear off his head first and break his body slowly until...'

Without realizing it, he felt something warm piercing his broken and dying body as it seemed like Death had finally come to claim him. Opening his eyes, he saw a figure there in the form of an angel as he tried to reach up weakly towards the figure to get a better look at the face. The pain receded slowly before all became clear to him.

"No way! How is this possible?!" whispered Vegeta.

**......................................**

Piccolo felt his body starting to wear out from the continuous fighting with Shenlong. The God-like beast started to get the upper hand as the other warriors looked on in horror; unable to help the Namekian warrior. The moment Piccolo knew this, it was too late; an uppercut was driven into his face and a spinning kick sent him flying into the remains of a building. The impact forced the structure itself to cave in as Shenlong smirked evilly. The warriors were at a loss to save Piccolo from the prison they were in. Slowly, the God-like beast walked towards the debris where Piccolo was buried to finish off the experienced warrior. Before he could move any further, he felt two chi-blasts hit him from behind.

"What?!" hissed Shenlong as he turned and saw Trunks and Goten behind him.

"Missed us?" said Trunks.

"Nyah!" Goten stuck his tongue out playfully.

"You little brats!" growled Shenlong angrily.

"What are you going to do about it, Shenlong?" mocked Trunks. "We're stronger than you think and we won't let you hurt our friends!"

"You should be more concerned about your own lives or what's left of them!" growled Shenlong as he fires a blast at the boys. They both screamed, unable to dodge or block the blast as it came screaming towards them. Before they could do anything, Piccolo suddenly teleported in the way and deflected the blast.

"Piccolo!" cried Goten. "You're hurt!"

"You brats are more trouble than I thought," said Piccolo. "How come you came back?"

"We couldn't leave you guys to fight! Including when they're trapped!" yelled Trunks as he pointed to the magic casing surrounding the warriors.

"So, you figured out my illusion," said Shenlong as Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo slipped into a fighting stance. "Too bad it won't save you from your immediate funeral!"

**......................................**

The golden tresses of hair spilled down Goku's back. The strain of healing Vegeta was difficult since his life force was plummeting like a rock would in in water. Sweat ran down the warrior's brow from the effort before he felt Vegeta's energy begin to steadily rise again from the near-death experience. Slowly, the Saiya-jin Prince opened his eyes and got a glimpse of the third-class warrior. Goku barely heard the whisper off the warrior's lips.

"No way! How is this possible?!"

Goku replied, without realizing it, in the same tone of voice: "I learned this through the abuse I took from Sin. I was forced to heal my own wounds through my own power. It was maddening because I felt so sick after what he did to me..."

"Why didn't you tell me that you had this power?!" said Vegeta in a demanding voice. Goku almost fell backwards on the battle-scarred ground as Vegeta continued; nearly shouting at the warrior, "It could have saved us the trouble of healing you earlier!"

"I would have said something, but my power takes time to call forth," defended Goku. "Also, when I was with Sin, he didn't wound me that deeply."

"Pitiful excuse," growled Vegeta. "So I take it the Namek's fighting the blasted dragon-like beast now?"

"Yes, but he's losing because of the reserves Shenlong has," said Goku. Suddenly, he growled. "Goten and Trunks are here! We need to go and st-"

"No, we can't do this alone," said Vegeta.

"What do you mean?" Goku cried out. "What can we do at this moment?"

"We need to do something I normally would have been against if it was suggested earlier," Vegeta scowled.

"What?"

"Fusion."

**......................................**

Goten went flying as Trunks cried out in pain. Piccolo was already on the ground near-death as Shenlong grabbed Trunks by his throat.

"Now you can join your father in hell!" yelled Shenlong. His fist was cocked back to deliver the final blow. Trunks closed his eyes in shame.

'Father, I'm sorry,' said Trunks with tears gently streaming from his eyes. He felt Shenlong's grip loosen as Trunks fell to the ground with a thud. Looking up, he saw a man there in a black and orange-trimmed vest, white pants with a blue sash, and black shoes with binds on his ankles. He looked like Gotenks, yet different within the eyes.

"What?" growled Shenlong before the mysterious man punted Shenlong into the air.

"Who are you?" said Trunks in pure awe and confusion.

"My name is Gogeta," said the warrior in a blend of both voices. He stared at the opponent before him with a glare of pure hatred: Shenlong.

* * *

The story's almost over! I think I'll wrap this up next chapter. Now onto the traditional reviews:

Luna's Meow: I know teasers aren't your cup of tea, so I won't add one in this chapter.

DBZ Chick1: Gohan's death scene was perhaps one of the hardest things I **ever** had to write. Originally, he would have just been dead when the smoke cleared, but I decided to add a little more drama to the scene.

Gokugirl9: Not exactly. Don't worry though. Everything will all work out in the end.

And now for whoever is the 60th reviewer (if I get that many reviews), I shall give that reviewer the next chapter early. That way, it will make up for not adding a teaser. So please review and if you're the lucky 60th reviewer, then make sure you have your e-mail address ready! Until next time, bye!


	15. The Conclusion

Bound

Chapter 14

I like to thank all of you for reviewing. As I stated in many chapters before, I don't own Dragon Ball Z.

* * *

Shenlong growled; slightly annoyed that a warrior out of nowhere came to defy him when he was so close to victory. The merger between the third-class warrior and the prince of an almost completely extinct race stood before the God-like beast. It was as though he was about to risk his very life against this demon created by the Gods before he was turned into a tool of hatred.

"Gogeta, hm?" Shenlong mused; his tail twitching in annoyance at the thought that this warrior had a chance against him. Gogeta, sight never wavering, walked away from the purple-haired half-breed that was gawking at him in a mixture of shock and horror. The shock was how this being came to be while the horror was the very thought of losing his father in case Shenlong managed to defeat him. "How do you plan to defeat me when the others have fallen?"

"I can," Gogeta said calmly before the sparkling golden aura roared up around him; dying the raven hair completely blonde and making the black eyes bleed teal in moments. It was like staring into the heart of a hurricane before it comes closer to the shore to tear everything up in its path. The invisible tension could give any normal human a heart attack, but the warriors knew that Gogeta wasn't bluffing and was serious about his claim; for if he lost, then the Earth would be at Shenlong's mercy.

"Really? And how can you stop me?" taunted the God-like beast.

"You'll see," countered Gogeta before he slipped into a fighting stance. Shenlong did likewise; deciding to meet the fused warrior's challenge head-on.

Neither one made a move at first; both warriors were staring intensely at one another seeing if they could find a weakness in one another's stance. Shenlong grinned and lunged towards Gogeta with his fist extended as he gasped before getting slammed into the ground.

"No!" cried Shin.

"Dad!" cried a worried Goten.

"Hmph," said Gogeta; getting up and brushing away the blood that trickled from a cut in his lip. "That was a cheap shot. I'd like to see you try that again."

"Gladly and I'll add some broken bones while I'm at it," Shenlong boasted before he swung his fist at Gogeta, but it went straight through. Falling for the after-image, Shenlong searched for the warrior's chi before he was slammed into a cliff from behind by a spinning kick. Gogeta smiled innocently at Shenlong.

"I thought you were going to break some of my bones," teased Gogeta; acting cocky towards the dragon-like beast. "Then again, you were probably bluffing."

"I am not!" roared Shenlong. "I will not be humiliated by an evolved monkey! I will kill you!"

The God-like being charged at Gogeta again, but the fusion met his blows with blocks or dodged them altogether. Shenlong was far from playing and Gogeta knew that since he fought the humanoid dragon as both Goku and Vegeta prior to fusing. With less than a half an hour to defeat the God-like beast, Gogeta countered after Shenlong threw an upper cut that severely missed. Gogeta attacked Shenlong from behind with several fast jabs as he was sent flying. Sliding against the ground, Shenlong roared before firing a blast at Gogeta, but the warrior countered with a blast of his own as it deflected Shenlong's harmlessly.

"Give up," said Gogeta. "You'll lose anyway and it's no longer you that has the upper hand."

"I won't surrender to a freak like you!" Shenlong yelled as he prepared to fire a blast in his hands towards Gogeta.

"Stop being so arrogant and beat him!" yelled Piccolo angrily at Gogeta.

"I will," Gogeta said as he smiled at Piccolo before cupping his hands. "Final Ka... me... ha... me..."

"Now die!" the God-like beast yelled firing the blast at Gogeta.

"HA!" yelled Gogeta; unleashing his blast towards Shenlong as the blasts met in the middle. On one end, Gogeta was fighting for Earth and all of her people. While on the other end, Shenlong was carrying out the order to kill all humans in the name of Sin. The battle would not end the same way it would have if Goku would have been there for his son and not survive the battle. Gogeta smirked before unleashing more of his power to completely overtake Shenlong's blast, destroying the dragon cell by cell before the blast stopped altogether.

"He did it," said Piccolo. Seven cement stone rocks fell to the ground with a thud before turning into dust as Gogeta fell to his hands and knees panting hard. The sweat ran down his face as the others ran to his side.

"Dad! Are you alright?" said Goten concerned about his half-father's life.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Gogeta. Suddenly, he felt a jerk and where there was one was now two warriors. Goku felt Vegeta on his back as the Prince of all Saiya-jins smirked.

"I could get used to seeing you beneath me, Kakarot," Vegeta taunted at Goku.

"Just get off my back, Vegeta," Goku growled uncomfortably.

......................................

With the battle over, the warriors returned home. For the Son family, there was joy and sorrow. Though they won the war against Sin, they didn't come out of the final round of fighting without a casuality. The minute both Goten and Goku entered the house, they saw Chi-chi standing there with a frying pan in hand ready to beat the bejesus out of Gohan, but noticed that he wasn't there.

"Goku?" an emotional Chi-chi exclaimed. "Is this a dream?"

"No, I'm here," said Goku, pulling his wife into his arms. "I'm sorry for leaving you for seven years and..."

"Where's Gohan?" Chi-chi said; hoping against hope that her son wasn't dead.

"Chi-chi, I'm sorry, but he died saving my life," Goku said blantly. Wailing, she passed out. About an hour later, Chi-chi woke up and noticed that Goku and Goten were still at the table alone. "We'll wish Gohan back to life, Chi-chi. Just give us some time."

"What do you mean my son's dead?!" yelled Chi-chi angrily. "And where in the hell were you for seven years, Goku?" Goku flinched at the word 'hell' as Goten defended his father.

"Mommy, daddy **was** in hell for seven years!" cried Goten. "A guy named Sin kidnapped him and brainwashed him to destroy Earth, but he didn't do it!"

"Well if he was kidnapped by Sin, why was he wearing all of those nice clothes at the tourament, hm?" eyed Chi-chi.

"Can you give me some time to explain everything?" said Goku.

"No! Get out right now!" yelled Chi-chi.

......................................

Months passed before Namek's Dragon Balls were ready. When they were ready once more, Goku's first wish was that all of the people killed by Shenlong to be brought back to life. His second wish was for that Dende to have been purified and no longer under the influence of Sin. And the third wish was that the Lookout was replaced. Bidding Porunga farewell, Goku returned to Earth.

......................................

"Gohan," said Goku as Gohan opened his eyes.

"Huh? I'm alive..." said Gohan; seeing his body wasn't torn or bloody anymore.

"Yeah, we wished you back to life," said Goku.

"How did mom take the news I was dead?" Gohan said before Goku seemed to grow pale. "No, she didn't..."

"Yeah," said Goku. "We got divorced after that and I've been living on my own."

"Dad, did you tell her what happened?" said Gohan.

"I tried, but she said that she didn't want to hear it, so I guess it's for the best," Goku said sadly.

"No way! I won't accept this!" cried Gohan angrily before flying off towards home.

"Gohan, wait!" cried Goku, trying to catch up to his eldest son, but he was faster than he remembered.

"No! I won't believe it! I won't!" Gohan yelled before he heard evil laughter and saw Sin smiling down at him.

"Believe it," Sin said evilly before firing a blast towards his father.

‡‡‡‡End Dream Sequence‡‡‡‡

Gohan woke up in a cold sweat and noticed that he was in his room at home. It was nighttime and though he was wished back hours earlier, he was fast asleep when the whole event happened. Stretching, he sensed for his father's chi to feel it outside. Pitter pattering down the hallway and outside, Gohan saw Goku in front of Kinto-Un as though he was going to get onto the cloud and fly around on it.

"Dad?" called Gohan. "Are you going to take a ride on it?"

"I'm not sure," said Goku. "What if I fall right through?"

"You'll never know unless you try it, dad," said Gohan. Almost like he was contimplating a moment longer, he leaped into the air and closed his eyes. With a gentle 'bon' sound, he opened his eyes and saw that he was on Kinto-Un.

"Then I'm still pure?" questioned Goku towards the cotton-candy cloud known as Kinto-Un. With a yipe, the cloud took him into the skies. At first, Goku was freaked out by the cloud's movements, but laughed joyfully. It felt like he was a child again; yet, it felt like it was surreal at the same time. "Okay, let's go home, Kinto-Un..."

The cloud didn't respond to his master's command and continued to fly Goku towards an unknown location.

"Where are we going?" said Goku confused before he noticed that Kinto-Un was flying Goku towards a cave. Screeching to a halt, Goku landed and noticed that Vegeta was in the cave by himself.

"Why are you here, Kakarot?" said Vegeta coldly.

"I don't know," Goku said honestly. "Kinto-Un flew me here."

"Kinto-Un?" questioned Vegeta before he saw the cloud behind Goku. "Oh yeah. Your eldest brat was on that cloud the day we met 13 years ago."

"Anyway, since I'm here, do you want to go ahead and finish the duel we never got a chance to finish then?" said Goku. Vegeta smiled.

"Guess we're bound by fate, aren't we, Kakarot?" said Vegeta before he slid into a battle stance. "This time, I won't lose."

"Neither will I," smirked Goku as he did likewise. With a start, both lunged at each other to settle the score against one another. Unlike the first battle, this would not be to the death. Instead, it will be a battle to test one another and whoever won, well, one would gloat about it at the next gathering.

¬Owari¬

* * *

Well, that's the story! Thanks for staying with me through these tough times! Now onto the final reviews:

DBZ Chick1: I hope this ending wraps up all of the drama.

Gokusgirl: I updated. Go me!

Gokusgirl001: Thanks.

Lilgohangal: I hear ya!

Gohanismylvr: Congrats on being the 60th reviewer.

Gokugirl9: And Gogeta did and won a close battle. Thanks for reviewing.

And I'd like to thank all of those out there for reviewing. gives reviewers some cookies There will be more adventures coming soon, so stick around! You never know what's going to happen next!


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